For Blood and Shadows
by vicriv8282
Summary: A mercenary named Marco Jevings is forced to retrieve the only data disk in existence which contains the identity and location of the mysterious Shadow Broker. Aria T'loak, deadly mercs and the dangerous Broker himself will do anything and kill anyone to claim the disk's secrets. And Marco, whose past is tied to the origins of the Shadow Broker, is caught in the middle.
1. Chapter 1

Blood runs down their faces. The sounds of one man crying in pain and another man crying in fear constantly echo in the room which has no windows and no cracks. The walls are thicker than normal; a deliberate design meant for holding secret meetings or keeping the screams of help from escaping. The room isn't big. Ten men could probably fit in it provided they were all standing and not lying down on the floor cradling wounds and bruises. And a single dim light source at the center of the ceiling makes the room feel even smaller than it is. Another design choice.

There is a third man; also human. But he is not crying nor lying in pain as the other two are. He is on his knees but his bruised ribs forbid a perfect stance. Instead, he is slumped forward. His face is looking at the floor. Staring down is not his choice. The throbbing pain from a black eye doesn't hurt as much when his head is pointing at the floor. Humans are not the only species occupying the room.

Standing at the penumbra is a Krogan. On his home planet of Tuchanka, he had an ordinary Krogan name. But, on Omega, he is known as Thrasher. It's a simple name which suits his personality perfectly. Like all Krogan he is tall and muscular. And, just like his entire race, he loves inflicting pain on others. But, while that urge drives all Krogan in a more instinctive and natural way, Thrasher has fine tuned it and transformed it into, what he calls, an art and what others call a borderline fetish. When he is "working" he aims to bring out the mixed scent of blood and urine from his victims. It is an odor the room has an abundance of; both old and fresh. On his home world he would just have been seen as a regular warrior, same as all the rest. But, on Omega, his skills are a commodity. His black armor nearly camouflages him in the shadows of the room. The dim light highlights his muscles, his red eyes and his grin.

Also further in the dark, and standing next to the only door, is an El Cor. If it were on Earth the massive individual would have been mistaken for an eight foot tall elephant without a trunk and smaller ears. But, unlike elephants, El Cor are intelligent members of the civilized galaxy. And, while not members of the Council species, they contribute to the greater good with research and technology development. But not this El Cor. Due to bad upbringings and bad experiences this individual has become Thrasher's best friend and most reliable coworker. He is just as content delivering pain as his Krogan counterpart. Not only that, but he takes every characteristic about his species and warps it to serve his profession. He uses his monotone speech to instill fear to others. He uses his hulking weight on his victims. And, whatever creations he has invented are meant to create suffering. In fact, he would be completely naked if it weren't for the barbed boot on his front left foot. It has given him a reputation no other member of his species has achieved. And, because of this, his employer has affectionately called him Stomper.

The two Humans are still crying while the third is still quiet. Thrasher notices this and steps into the light to hover over the third man. "I don't think you had enough, Marco". The man notices the deep base of the Krogan's voice is heard more clearly from the left ear than the right. The flaw didn't exist a few hours ago.

Marco Jevings was never a man who was intimidated by others stronger than he was. Even when they were clearly the superior, he never felt inferior. He knew that power changes hands in an instant. In the blink of an eye, the powerful become the powerless. It is a lesson that has followed Marco since he was a child. Power is an illusion. This attitude still gives him courage even as his left eye swells and his battered ribs force quick breathes in order to avoid pain. With his head still facing the floor, spitting out blood to clear his throat was the easiest thing he did today. "I had enough a half hour ago".

"Then tell us what we want to know". The Krogan talks lightly. He doesn't threaten and he doesn't scream. He doesn't have to. Everyone who knows his name knows what he's capable of. Most who are unfortunate enough to visit his interrogation room are smart enough to answer his questions quickly. But, whether they talk or are defiant, they all have their right arm broken beyond repair but just short of amputation. It is Thrasher's calling card and a testament to his precision.

Marco knows this. He heard of the story of how Thrasher ripped off all but one of the tentacles of a Hanar with his bare hands. And how a Drell, with their natural super memory, was tortured so badly he eventually killed himself after years of reliving all the pain and horror over and over again as if it were the first time it happened. For a second, Marco wondered what stories would be told about his demise under Thrasher's skills. But, he reminded himself of how power changes. Even though the Krogan and the El Cor could end his life and the lives of the other two men in an instant, they won't. Marco knew they were under orders. They answer to someone else. There was a bigger fish.

"I told you…" Marco takes another quick breath, "I will only speak to…" a cough forces its way out, "Aria".

Suddenly, a new voice enters the room from the door. A woman's voice. The voice is both feminine and commanding. "Speak of the devil and she shall appear". The three Humans were too engulfed in pain to notice the door had opened. Marco would have noticed but today his busted eardrum wouldn't let him. But, now that he focuses on the open doorway, he can hear the faint sound of the music from Omega's Afterlife club off in the far distance.

Everyone both Human and non-human look toward the door and see an Asari standing at the threshold. Not just any Asari, the Asari. The only Asari anyone on Omega needs to know. Aria T'loak stands at the threshold for a few more seconds to allow everyone to recognize her. Then she enters the room and closes the door behind her cutting off the club music that gave Jevings a few seconds of solace.

Everything Aria does is subtle. Her body movements aren't rushed. She knows that everyone waits for her so she can take all the time she wants. Even her clothes are subtle. A black top and black pants striped with white leather alongside the arms and legs is her attire today. "That is what you Humans say, isn't it?" she says while slowly walking further into the room letting the aura of her presence sink in.

She scans the bruises and wounds of the three men and notices the man closest to her is crying with labored hyperventilation. He is grasping his throat with both hands. Aria has seen this too many times over many years and knows exactly what that means. She turns to Thrasher and says "You broke his windpipe"? The Krogan can see how aggressively disappointed she is and lets out the first excuse he could think of. "He was screaming too much. It was getting annoying".

Aria folds her arms together and coldly stares at the Krogan. "If he can't talk then he can't tell me what happened. The next time you don't follow my instructions exactly it will be you who will have the broken windpipe. Do you understand"?

Thrasher has known Aria long enough to know that, when she threatens, it is best to don't say anything and just nod his head. Without taking her sights off Thrasher Aria unfolds her arms and points at the injured man. "He's useless to me now. Finish what you started".

A small grin runs across the Krogan's face as he steps into the light and grabs the first man's shoulders to make him lie down on his back. Then he straddles the man's chest pressing all his weight on it. Unable to move or breathe the Human lets go of his throat and waves his arms around in futility trying to summon any kind of energy to resist. Thrasher grabs the man's right forearm and breaks it in half. Blood, agony and air escape his lungs at the same time making a high pitched gargle. The Krogan balls both of his fists and begin to pummel the man's face continuously.

Marco can hear the cracking of his crewman's skull even through the busted eardrum. But this was a risk he and all his crew took when they accepted the job. The rewards can be great when they succeed but so can the consequences when they fail. That's how mercenaries live. It is that mentality which doesn't allow Marco to feel sad for his crewman even though they worked with each other for four years. Marco liked thinking of his crew as just that. He never forged any friendships with them or bought them all drinks after a successful job. They were his crew but they were also mercenaries.

"I haven't got all day, Thrasher" Aria said. And with that, Thrasher gives the man one final blow to the temple, killing him.

The Krogan gets off of the body and walks back to Aria's side. She then turns her attention to the second crewman who is trying hard not to appear as useless as the first. Aria leans toward him and, in a soft gentle voice, says "Where is the disk"? Respecting Aria's stature the man stares down at the floor and avoids eye contact.

"I don't know where it is. We had it. We were on our way back to you. And the Batarians boarded our ship and stole it. Our engines were damaged. We couldn't follow them through the relay".

Aria tilts her head as she analyzes every word that was just said. "Look at me". The man obeys and slowly raises his head to look up at the Asari. Her piercing stare makes him uncomfortable. Every survival instinct he has is trying to make him look away but he knows what happens when Aria's orders are disobeyed. She just stands there quietly scanning him for a few more seconds. "You're lying" she says. She looks over to Stomper. "Do your thing".

The El Cor slowly walks toward the second man who starts pleading and screaming for mercy. When the four legged mountain of muscle stands over the pathetic Human, Stomper slightly tilts his head and makes eye contact with him. "Sarcastic assurance: This won't hurt me at all". He then raises the leg with the barbed boot and slams it down onto the man's groin so hard that even Thrasher flinched (just before he laughed).

In a twisted way, Marco was almost glad his eardrum was bruised. The initial cries of his friend's pain were bad enough but they became worse once Stomper started grinding his boot into the flesh of the man's pelvic region. At Aria's command, the boot was raised and the El Cor took several steps back into the darkness of the room. With another command from her wrist, Thrasher takes his pistol out of his side holster and hands it to her. She makes sure the weapon is primed to fire and points it at the second man who is still crying. "Shut up and listen". The man summons the rest of his strength to turn his cries of pain into long deep quiet breathes. For the most part he is successful but a yelp would burst out of him every few breaths. When he looks up at Aria his eyes are so squinted and full of water he can only make out her silhouette. "I'm going to ask you one more time. If you lie to me again I'm going to use my biotic powers to propel this bullet through your head as fast as the speed of light". She gives a second of silence so her threat can be properly taken in. "Now…where is the disk"?

The man tries to do more talking than crying but ends up giving the Asari a mixture of both. "I swear, Aria…It was the Batarians. They have the disk now". Aria doesn't say anything. She just pulls the trigger. Even with one good ear, Marco can tell the Asari made good on her threat. He heard the round go through the man's skull and hit the wall a split second before he heard the shot from the pistol. To Thrasher's satisfaction, the crying finally stops.

Marco looks up at Aria and sees the hand holding her pistol has a slight glowing purple hue. Then she looks at him and walks towards him. The last Human, while bruised and still on his knees, gives a posture that both shows respect to Aria and defiance. His chest is out, his back straightens up, he makes eye contact and his arms are at his sides. The position enhances his pain but he refuses to die like the other two. "You know, he was telling the truth", he says.

"I know", Aria replies. "But he was one of your low level crew. There was only so much he could have told me. On the other hand, you were in charge. It was your ship. Therefore, you know everything that happened". Then Aria raises her pistol again and points it at Jevings' head. "So, same as before". And, like before, she gives one second to let the reality of her threat sink in. "Where is the disk? Don't forget my one rule, Marco".

Marco badly wanted to crack a joke or start off with a lie just to make her mad and toy with her out of spite. But he saw how serious the look on her face was and he knew he only had one chance. "We got the disk like you paid us to do. But then my ship was attacked by the Batarians. I tried to lose them by hiding my ship's engine output as I went through the mass relay but it didn't work. When we came out of the Omega relay they were right behind us. They disabled my ship, boarded it and stole the disk". Jevings then slightly lowers his head. "They even kidnapped several of my crew".

"Save your sad stories", Aria says "I don't care about you or your crew. I only care about that data disk".

"Well, it turns out you are not the only one", Marco says matter of factly "But I'm not surprised. I should have known that the data disk regarding the identity and the location of the Shadow Broker wouldn't be a secret for too long".

That was Marco's moment of defiance towards Aria. He knew she didn't want Thrasher and Stomper to know the specifics of the mission he was sent on. She knew they liked to gossip while off duty. Marco knew that as well and he could see the two tormentors look at each other in surprise when he said that. He wanted to smile but he didn't. He knew Aria would pull the trigger as soon as she saw the smirk.

Aria put the barrel of the pistol on Marco's forehead. "Do you know where the disk is now"? Jevings takes a deep breath. "…Maybe".

Aria's hand starts to glow purple again and her voice seizes to be subtle. "What the hell does that mean?" she demands. Marco knows he bought himself a few more seconds of life. "I know the Batarian captain who raided my ship and stole your disk. His name is Drim".

The Asari lets out a single sarcastic laugh. "Drim operates a flimsy slaving operation. He was small time when I met him thirty years ago and he is small time now. And, unlike you, he respects me. He wouldn't dare steal from me".

"He didn't know I was working for you. No one did. I kept my affiliation with you secret". The glow on Aria's hand fades away as she lowers the pistol. "Well at least you are not entirely stupid". Marco bought himself another few seconds. "If you don't kill me, I can get the disk back".

Aria shows that she isn't impressed nor swayed by Marco's attempt to plea for his life. The gun may be lowered but her stare is as cold as ever. "Why would you want to do that"? Marco's face tightens with anger and he gives the Asari an even colder stare. "Because Drim stole from me too. He attacked my ship and kidnapped some of my crew. I can't let that slide. I can't have that kind of reputation. Who would hire me? Besides, I still haven't gotten paid for this job". Aria starts to pace from one side of the room to the other. Stomper and Thrasher just silently watch. When she gets back to Marco, she puts the gun back to his forehead.

"You think I'm stupid, don't you?" she says, "You think it's that easy to walk away after you failed me? No. I'll get the data disk back myself". Jevings can see her putting her finger on the trigger.

A long time ago, Marco swore to himself that he would never be killed without a fight. He would never die crying or curled up in a ball like the other two men now lying dead next to him. If he had to go he would make sure to take something from them as well. His only decision was who to attack first. The powerful biotic Asari who is already pointing the gun to his head? The Krogan who is three times his weight and ten times his strength? Or the El Cor whose massive bulk and thick skin make him virtually immune to anything Marco can dish out in his battered state? If luck was on his side then his plan would be simple. Quickly get on his feet, snatch the gun from Aria and run to the El Cor. While using the giant beast as a shield he would aim for the heads of the Asari and the Krogan. Once they were down he would put a round into the El Cor. It wasn't a perfect plan. And he knew he would probably only last two seconds before he was killed. But that didn't matter. He would not die on his knees.

The muscles of Marco's arms and legs tighten up as they get ready to spring into action. He will not ball his fists until the last possible second so he would not give away the surprise. He takes one deep breathe despite the pain in his ribs and forces his black eye to open so he can see everything.

Then suddenly, his most important asset springs into action.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asks. If Aria could admit it she would say she was thrown off balance by the question. But, rather making her flinch obvious by answering a question with a question, she gives the answer that has made her one of the most powerful Asari in the galaxy. "Because I can".

"Exactly my point", Marco said "Everyone knows you. If everyone knows you have the disk with the Shadow Broker's identity, then they will all be coming after you. Your enemies will probably join forces to take it from you". Aria doesn't hesitate to answer him. "I can handle them". Knowing she would say something like that, Marco throws down the ace up his sleeve. "And what about the Shadow Broker himself? If he comes after you to stop you from finding out who he really is, could you handle him"?

Marco lets Aria think about it for a second. He gave her the same second she gave him when she was the one asking the questions just a moment ago. Aria takes the pistol off of Marco's head again and throws it back to Thrasher who then holsters it. The Asari then raises her left forearm across her chest and activates her omni-tool. The device activates by a glowing orange holographic interface wrapping around her forearm and she speaks into it. "Ish, get down to the interrogation room right now". Another woman's voice comes out of the device. The voice is soft but sharp. "I'll be right there".

Aria deactivates the omni-tool and looks back to Marco. "How will you find Drim"? Jevings takes a deep breathe while he thinks about how to answer. "I did a job for him a few years ago. I know the locations of three planets where he does his slaving trades. I'll start with those". The Asari takes a few seconds to consider the idea then turns to Thrasher. "Get him up".

The Krogan stomps his way to Marco, grabs his shoulders like a vice grip and forces the man to stand before he was ready. His knees buckle for an instant before they get their footing. Thrasher doesn't move from Marco's side in order to remind him of his powerful presence and to thwart any ideas of attack or escape. The Asari looks down at the two lifeless bodies. "I take it you're going to need a new crew. How does half a dozen Blue Sun mercs sound"?

"I appreciate that" Marco replies "Just make sure they aren't new hires. I'll be going into dangerous territory and I don't want to be killed because your men are inexperienced". Aria lets out a very subtle smirk. Marco knows that smirk. It's the body language she gives when she isn't a tormentor or an interrogator. At this moment, she is a business woman. "Fair enough" she says "I'll also have your ship repaired".

"Thank you. That is very generous of you".

But, instead of giving a more appropriate response to his gratitude, Aria snaps back at him. "Save it. Your only purpose in life right now is to get me that disk. Eating, sleeping and everything else are secondary. Understand"?

Just as Marco says "Yes" the door to the room opens and in walks another Asari. At six feet tall, she is the same height as Marco. Her skin is a violet purple as opposed to Aria's blue. She is wearing a dark purple skin tight outfit that covers her whole body. While other races might see the tight wardrobe which hugs her curves as sexually provocative, the Asari race wears this design to enhance their biotic powers. When Humans first knew about this they compared it to a professional swimmer who shaves his entire body so he can cut through the water faster, or a professional glider who wears a tight outfit to decrease wind resistance. To that end, her skin tight outfit allows her biotics to course through her and to channel outward easier. It is a design meant for function and not fashion. Jevings also notices tattoos of sharply shaped angles on the half dozen fleshy dreads that make up the top of an Asari's head.

Aria walks to the entrance and stands next to her. "This is Ish. Think of her as my insurance policy" she says "She is going to make sure you complete your task. And she is not going to leave your sight until you do". She then turns her head to face Ish. "If he tries to escape or does anything besides getting me that disk, kill him". The purple skinned Asari stares at Marco like a cobra snake stares at its prey. "Gladly" she says.

Aria then points her finger at Marco. "See to it he gets some medi-gel for his bruises. Then give him a room and post guards at the door so he doesn't get any ideas" she orders.

Thrasher looks at the two dead bodies. "What about them"? Aria answers him without hesitation. "Give them to the Vorchas in the lower levels. They've been complaining about a shortage of food down there. These should shut them up for a few days". Jevings puts all his energy into pretending that what he just heard didn't bother him. They may have just been coworkers to his eyes but they were still Human. And the image of a pack of Vorchas tearing into their flesh for food didn't sit well with him.

But he had to be strong. He tried to walk tall even as Thrasher was pushing him towards the doorway. As he walks past Aria he can still feel Ish's piercing gaze on him. Although he doesn't look at the two Asari he can hear them talking. "His ship will be fixed in a few hours" Aria says "Be sure to leave first thing in the morning". Ish doesn't reply. She just nods his head while still watching Jevings.

Marco's left foot is the first to step onto the corridor leading out of the interrogation room. He silently thanks his quick thinking and powers of persuasion for keeping him alive for another day. They have allowed him to breathe free air once again. The smell of blood, urine and death begin to fade away. But then an urge swells within him. With Thrasher's hand still strongly griping his shoulder he slowly turns back to the room and looks at Aria. "You got it wrong, you know". Aria turns to him and is a little surprised he is still in her sights. Sometimes Thrasher is too slow. "Excuse me?" she says.

"It's not 'she'" Marco answers "The phrase goes 'speak of the devil and he shall appear'". But Aria quickly responds as if she knew he was going to say that. "Not on Omega".

That little act of defiance was not about the phrase at all. It was his way of telling Aria that, despite the beating he received by her two most infamous henchmen, she couldn't kill him. But he wasn't quite prepared for her to respond so quickly. Her response shot down his act of defiance. What she said was another way of saying "don't fuck with me". That was one of her favorite Human words. Fuck. She liked to say it. And she liked it better when she can say it without saying it. Marco tried to get the last word. The last laugh. But Aria got it instead. He lost that round. And, with that, Marco Jevings walks out of her sights….with Ish's gaze still bearing down on him.


	2. Chapter 2

It is early in the morning the next day. If he was on Earth it would feel like the time of day where the blue light of the morning sky starts to slowly push the night away. But there is no sky around Omega. The asteroid turned space station was always surrounded by a slight red cloud which covers the rest of the thin asteroid field. No one could tell the time just by looking out of a window here. Instead, Omega ran on the same twenty six hour galactic time just like the rest of the galaxy.

Staring out of the six foot wide window made Marco's room seem bigger than it really is. Which was good because the room Aria gave him only had enough space to hold an average sized bed on the right and a metal table with two chairs on either side to the left. Next to the table was the entrance to the bathroom which was even more cramped. When Thrasher first dragged him in the room last night, after his trip to the medical facility, he was surprised at how accommodating the room was. An average Council space citizen would see the room as the kind of living conditions only the poor could inhabit. But Jevings didn't see it that way. Compared to some of the cages he has been in throughout his life, this one wasn't so bad.

Marco himself is able to look out of the window standing upright. While, still not one hundred percent, he no longer feels the same pain he felt five hours ago. The medi-gel did the job. His black eye is gone, his eardrum is almost the way it was and he can take long deep breathes without his ribs penalizing him for it. His body still feels a little sore but it feels more like the kind of soreness one feels the day after they had a vigorous exercise workout.

Jevings looks better too. His short dead brown hair is properly combed. The old sweat and dirt on his light skin has been cleaned off. He especially likes his new clothes. His beige short sleeve shirt is just tight enough to compliment his medium build but not so tight that it makes him look self conscious about his muscles. On top of the shoulders of his shirt are black leather padings. His pants are black as well. They are made of a fabric that looks similar to Earth's old jeans but feel a lot lighter. The pants are only a little baggy and the bottoms of the sleeves are tucked into his black boots. The best part about his attire is that they are not stained with blood.

Marco only wished he had a few more hours to sleep. But there was no time for that. Aria needed what she considers her data disk back. Jevings was right about before. He knew that, if word got out that there was a disk which contained the identity and the location of the Shadow Broker, he wouldn't be the only one looking for it.

The Shadow Broker is a name everyone knows. His influence is felt everywhere nearly all the time. It is said that everyone does business with him at least once in their lives whether they know it or not. He deals through third parties, even fourth parties. He has middle men deal with middle men. He knows everyone's deep dark secrets and is not afraid to exploit them. Politicians and corporate leaders have learned to give the Broker whatever he wants or else face retribution in their next campaign or transaction. If knowledge is power then the Shadow Broker is near omnipotent. Or, even worse, he could have you killed.

The Broker has an impressive and fearsome army of assassins. A few are well known and feared. The Salarian named Taz was one of them. Normally, Salarians are known for their kindness and intelligence. Taz was the exception and one of the few men who knew he was under the Broker's employ. Even Krogans, who naturally hate Salarians and look down on them because of the Genophage, know to give this particular Salarian the respect he deserves.

Other assassins are more secretive. The Galactic News service not too long ago reported on the assassination of one of the Citadel's most powerful corporate officials. The Turian murderer surrendered to the Citadel Security officers without a fight. In his interrogation he said the Shadow Broker paid him to do it. Shadow Broker driven assassinations occur often but, what made this one news worthy is that the Turian was the victim's best friend and personal assistant for twelve years.

That was Jevings' biggest concern about his mission to retrieve the data disk. He couldn't trust anyone. Not that he trusted people before. After all, he is a man for hire. He has had coworkers try to swindle him out of his share of the profits and he has had his employers try to kill him in order to avoid paying him. But this was different. Now, he can't even turn his back on the people he passes on the streets. Now he has to look sideways whenever someone sits next to him at the bar. Now he has to be extra cautious when a woman flirts with him.

Jevings tries to put the paranoia to the side for now. He has only one motive right now: getting back what was stolen from him. And he will stop at nothing to complete his mission. Not because Aria paid him and threatened him to. But Aria was right about one thing. It is the only purpose in his life right now. Marco knows Ish will be coming in a couple of minutes and the mission will begin. But, for now, he enjoys his solitude and closes his eyes while he listens to the Galactic News service that is coming out of a speaker on the right wall.

"The Hanar have withdrawn their applicant to be considered for Specter status. This comes as a surprise because their nominee was considered a hero during the Geth attack on the Citadel when he saved the lives of thirty citizens by making sure they got to their vessel safely after the building they were in collapsed. He was considered a guarantee entry so it is a mystery why the Hanar have decided to pull him. They have yet to make a statement". (Jevings smirks) "Speaking of which, it looks like the stock exchange on Illium has finally fully recovered from that attack. It took a year and a half, but it looks like everyone has finally put their faith in the market again. Matriarch Moneli has this to say…."

The report goes silent to let Marco know that the room's entrance doorbell has chimed. He opens his eyes, turns away from the window and walks to the door. Ish is standing at the threshold when the door opens. "It's time to go" she says.

"No good morning?" Marco jokes to test her level of seriousness. She passed. Then Marco gets serious himself. "Come inside for a second". He walks back into the room and stands in front of the bed. Ish enters but only walks far enough to let the door close behind her. "What is it?" she asks. Knowing she is not going to like the answer at first, Marco talks softly but still firm enough to be taken seriously. "We're not leaving yet".

"Aria says different" she snappily replies.

Jevings raises his hand in front of him to stop her from continuing. "Don't get me wrong. We are leaving. But first I have to meet a contact here in Omega".

"What for?" Ish asks.

"I'm going to need weapons and supplies". Ish instantly folds her arms to show him that she doesn't trust him. "No" she says "Your ship has already been supplied with enough food for all of us. And, as for weapons, that's why we are bringing the Blue Suns with us. We're ready to go now".

Marco urgently takes one step toward her. "Listen to me. If I'm right then we will most likely be heading into the Terminus Systems. If you've ever been there then you know that a handful of Blue Suns mercenaries aren't enough to guarantee our safety. We are going to need specific tools". The tattooed Asari takes a moment to think over the request. "Who is your contact?" she inquires.

"She is a woman. A Human woman".

"Just her"?

"Yes" Marco replies. "She's no threat to six mercs and an Asari biotic. I promise the meeting will be quick. She already knows what I need. We'll just get there, pick up the goods and get out". This time, Ish doesn't take a second to think about it. "OK". In complete surprise Marco jerks his head back. "I have to admit I expected us to argue about this for several minutes".

And to even more of a surprise, Ish lets out a single chuckle followed by a smile. "Why argue? If you're lying, or if this is a trap, then we'll kill you. But if you are telling the truth then we'll need those specific items. Am I right"?

Marco couldn't tell if she was joking or serious but responds anyway with a strong "Yes". Then Ish steps to the side to allow him a clear way to the door. "Lead the way" she says.

He begins to walk to the door but, as he passes Ish, she quickly grabs his throat with her hand. The grip is strong enough to stop Marco in his steps but not strong enough to cause any lasting pain. "Don't screw with me. This is your last warning". He doesn't say anything. He just looks her in the eyes and nods which makes her release her grip.

Then the two of them walk out of the room. Jevings stops as he sees the six Blue Sun mercs standing outside in the corridor. Four of the mercs are Turians and the other two are Humans. They are all men. The first Human looks very young. He is light skinned with red hair and is obviously the youngest of the group, as well as the greenest. The other Human is the exact opposite. He is a tall and middle aged with dark skin. His head is bald and there is a scar running from the left side of his chin to his left shoulder. It looks as if someone tried to slash at his throat with a blade and just barely missed. It's obvious he has been holding a gun for a long time. To Marco, there's no doubt he was the leader of the band of mercs who are all wearing blue armor with white stripes and circles throughout. Each of them has an assault rifle holstered on their back and a pistol on their side. It is the mercenary gang's attempt at a uniform. Ish points to him.

"This is Leroy Kasteel" she says "He will be commanding these men. You don't need to know who the rest are". Marco extends his hand to Leroy. Unlike his earlier jest with Ish, this gesture was genuine. It was Marco's way of saying that he acknowledges and respects the war experience he has. It takes a couple of seconds but the merc leader reaches out and shakes Marco's hand. The man's hold was so tight it clenched Jevings' bones together. It was Leroy's way of accepting the show of respect while, at the same time, giving Marco a small sample of his power.

"So where are we heading" Ish interrupts. Marco lets go of Leroy's hand and turns to face the Asari. "Cargo level D, section twelve".

It took five minutes to get there. The giant cargo bay is full of large cargo cans scattered throughout the outer rim of the bay leaving the center of the room virtually empty. The bay is overlooked by a catwalk which makes up the upper level. Marco leads the group in. While the rest of the group stands near the cans, Jevings stands further out in the open. Leroy is the only one with enough battle experience to know that, when you enter an area, scan it for tactical strengths and weaknesses. His head rotates clockwise and then counter clockwise. He looks down at the floor and then up at the catwalks. His subconscious counts how many cans are on the left side and how many are on the right. His peripheral vision sees the air ducts in the ceiling and the maintenance panels on the floor. Ish sees him scanning the area.

"What is it?" she says.

The merc leader doesn't look at her. He just continues to look around. "This place is too exposed". Ish looks at Leroy and sees that he is readying himself for combat. He grabs his assault rifle and primes it. The other mercs stand there and watch their leader, hoping he would give them an order. Ish's cautious nature has always been the deciding factor in her survival and she will not ignore it now. She places her hand on her pistol holster and looks back at Jevings. "Marco, where is she"?

He doesn't respond right away. He looks toward the empty spacing between the cargo cans to see if anyone is hiding there. "I don't know. She should have been here already".

That was all Leroy needed to hear. He looks down the sights of his weapon and points it at Marco while taking a step forward to guarantee a point blank shot. "He's playing us. Get ready"! he barks to his men. They all grab their weapons. Fearing for his life Marco raises both of his arms out and opens his hands. "No, don't shoot!" he yells out, "I don't have anything planned. I don't know why she isn't here yet".

Ish stays quiet. She has already given Marco his warning. She stands watch and lets Leroy get his turn. "Don't move or I'll put one in your head"! Jevings obeys and stays absolutely still while keeping his hands in the air. Talking calmly to defuse the situation didn't work so Marco raises the volume of his voice to match Leroy's. "You're the leader, use your head!" he yells "I'm not armed! I can't do anything to you! Stop being paranoid"!

Leroy smiles and his voice turns rasp. "I was hoping you gave me the chance to kill you". Not completely convinced of Marco's treachery Ish orders Leroy. "Kasteel, wait a minute"!

But it is too late. A single loud bang echoes throughout the cargo bay and Marco is hit so hard he is thrown off his feet and crashes to the floor. But his body flies toward Leroy which wouldn't be possible if the shot came from his rifle. And the sound of the bang came from the far side of the room. Everyone looks at Marco's motionless body in shock. Everyone except Leroy. He looks toward the sound of the shot and sees a tall silhouette on the far side of the catwalk. The figure is holding a long rifle. Even though he can't make out the specific gun, Leroy's experience knows its class. "Shit! Sniper"!

Leroy fires off a burst at the catwalk but the figure takes cover behind the guard rails. Kasteel hears another shot from behind him and one of the Turian mercs collapses to the floor with a hole in his skull. Ish shoots a few rounds in the new body's direction. "Multiple targets!" she yells. Leroy and Ish are the only ones with the common sense to retreat back to the cover of the cargo cans. The other Blue Suns look around for targets and randomly shoot anything their fear thinks is a target. "Take cover you idiots!" Leroy barks. The rest of the mercs make their way to the cans but the unseen figure comes out of cover and shoots two more Turians before they can get to safety.

Suddenly, several fist-sized metal canisters land at the group's feet and instantly start spraying a thick smoke screen. The remaining survivors of the initial assault take cover between two large cans as the smoke fills their area and clouds their field of vision. Ish is the first to break the silence. "Shit, it's him" she says. Leroy replies while trying to see through the fog. "I know". The other Human man is shaking so much his hands can barely hold his gun. He speaks to Leroy in a timid voice. "Who?" he barely lets out.

"Archangel".

One of the Turians curse at the same time Ish says "Damn it". Leroy notices the Asari is the bravest one besides himself. The remaining two Turians are doing their best to hold it together but the other Human has all but completely broken down. He constantly swings his head back and forth and fails to hide his whimpers. Leroy knows he must act now before the attackers can completely surround them. He turns his head toward the group. "Listen to me" he orders "When I say, fire a burst at them and then run to the door where we came from. We'll use their smoke to our advantage". The group nods and awaits his order. Leroy tries to look through the fog one more time then fires his weapon at it. "Now"!

Ish and the rest of the mercs fire off shots in different directions and then run toward the cargo entrance. They get to the large doors by memory and using the cargo cans and walls to feel their way back. One of the Turians tries to operate the holographic interface to open the doors but it doesn't work. He turns to Leroy. "It's locked from the other side!" he says, his fear growing. That was all the scared man needed to hear before he gave up. "We're dead" he cries. And with that, he drops his assault rifle, raises his arms in the air, turns his back to the group and starts walking toward the center of the room. The Turian not working on the door tries to talk sense into him. "What are you doing? They'll kill you"!

The coward keeps walking without talking back. Instead, he yells to the attackers. "Don't shoot! Don't shoot! I'm coming out and I'm unarmed"! His voice cracks as he pleads for his life while saying "Please" over and over again. When he steps out of the fog he is mercilessly gunned down by several of the attackers.

By now the survivor's half of the room is filled with smoke. The ambushers know they are cornered with no chance of escape. Leroy knows this as well. He knows he and the others are being toyed with. He realizes he does not have the advantage and it is pissing him off. Kasteel gets the attention of the group by making a hand gesture that signals them to move huddle closer together. Ish and the two Turians acknowledge him and form a tight circle so Leroy can speak low enough so the attackers can't hear him. "This is probably it for us" he admits "But if I'm gonna go then I'm gonna take at least one of those sons of bitches with me". Leroy takes a deep breathe and then lays out his strategy. "Spread out when we charge them. Keep at least two meters apart at all times. That way, if we're lucky, we can catch one of those bastards between us and let him have it".

The leader looks to his men. "Are you ready"?

The two Turians nod their heads. Then Leroy looks to Ish. She isn't looking at the group. Kasteel sees her staring at the wall as if her mind were somewhere else. It is a look he has seen in battle many times before. It's not that she is scared. It's that her mind is on something else. Or someone else. The experienced soldier knows she realizes that those thoughts are going to be her last thoughts. Kasteel also knows that it is a thought of regret. He calls out to her.

"Ish". But she does not reply. Then Leroy grabs her right arm and shakes it, snapping her back to reality. "Ish!" he repeats. She looks at him. "I said 'are you ready?'". The Asari woman takes a hard breath and then strikes the locked door with the back of her fist. "Damn it!" she yells out. Then she checks her pistol and her hands glow purple signaling the others that she is ready to use her biotic powers. Leroy takes that as an affirmative and they all face the fog.

"Charge"!

Ish, Leroy and the two Turians run past the cargo can that was providing cover and charge through the fog shooting and defiantly screaming as they keep their distance from each other. One of the Turians screams "Come on!" as loud as he can. This made him an easy target and he is the first to fall from a barrage of gunfire.

Ish shoots out biotic warp charges from her left hand while shooting her pistol with her right. Her screams are the most furious. The fog starts to thin out as she gets closer to the end of it. But she doesn't breach it.

Suddenly, someone tackles her down to the floor with all of his body weight. Her surprise disorients her allowing the man to slap the pistol out of her hand and pin her to the floor. Unable to see and unable to fight back Ish starts kicking air hoping to hit the attacker who is now restraining her hands together with his. The man then drags the Asari to a safe spot between two cargo cans then sits on top of her chest. Ish grunts, screams and wiggles her body and arms to try and break free of the man's hold. Then the man moves his face closer to hers so the fog can't hide him anymore.

The sight of Marco Jevings surprises Ish for an instant. But that surprise quickly turns to anger. "Bastard! Get off me!" she demands. Marco stays where he is and only moves his mouth closer to her right ear. "Shut up" he says softly. Ish replies with a sharp "No!". Jevings' voice turns more commanding. "I'm saving your life, so shut up". After hearing those words Ish's body slowly complies. Her resistance starts to fade away like a machine whose batteries are dying. Then she and Marco remain silent.

In the other part of the cargo room, the last Turian merc falls to the floor at the fog's threshold. His blood pools out of a dozen puncture holes in his chest. Leroy Kasteel is the only one to truly breech the fog. He can now see his attackers. Random shots turn into carefully aimed shots. Kasteel curses to himself as he sees all of them are wearing armored suits and helmets designed for Turians. Those kinds of suits are equipped with kinetic shield emitters. He curses at himself again as he realizes that his life was over the second he entered the cargo bay. There are seven Turians wearing the armor, not including the sniper who is now on ground level and no longer on the catwalk. They all surround him. Leroy lowers his gun and looks around to see he is surrounded. Then he growls and raises his rifle again. "You want me! Fucking take me"! Leroy only lets out two shots before the Turians finish off the rest of their thermal clips on him. To his credit the two rounds did hit their mark. But the armor's kinetic shielding deflected the shots. Leroy Kasteel never stood a chance. The final round came from the sniper's rifle and hit the Blue Suns leader in the center of his chest even as he was falling to the floor.

Ish notices the gunfire has stopped and Marco notices the fog starting to quickly dissipate. It is not long before the fog is completely gone. Marco looks behind him and sees all eight armored Turians standing over them. Their guns are trained at them. Each Turian's armor is a different color. One's armor is brown and another is dark green. Yellow, white, red, grey and purple make up the rest. The sniper's armor is blue with black at the joints of his arms and legs. He stands in front of the others signaling to Marco and Ish that he is the leader.

Jevings slowly gets off of Ish and helps her get back on her feet. Marco points to the Asari. "Not her" he says "She's with me". Ish looks at him with obvious confusion on her face.

The Turian infamously known as Archangel takes a step toward Jevings. His voice is suave, even through the helmet. "Are you sure? You do know she's with Aria. I can save you a lot of trouble by ending her right now". Ish was about rebel but Marco quickly interrupted her. "No. I need her".

The expression of confusion on her face grew even more obvious. Archangel looks at her but speaks to Marco. "Will she behave?" he asks. Marco nods his head in response. "She can come with us on one condition".

"And that is?" Jevings says.

"We need to restrain her hands. Those soft purple fingers can do a lot of damage".

Marco honestly thought the stipulation was going to be more severe but, in fact, he welcomed it. Ish may be confused now but he didn't know if she had any anger toward him for setting up the mercs. Her being restrained was good for his safety as well as Archangel's. He looked at Ish who already knew what he was going to say. "Fine".

With a wave from his hand the Archangel commands the Turian wearing the brown armor who then pulls out a set of metal restraints and walks up to the Asari. Ish doesn't resist. The binds may be uncomfortable but, if this is the only way she can walk out of the cargo bay alive, then she will allow it. Archangel speaks to his brother in arms as he is clamping the binds shut. "Make sure those restraints are nice and tight, Revenant" he says "I'm not taking any chances with her".

"Yes, sir.", Revenant replies.

After that, Archangel turns around and walks up to Leroy's body. He hovers over the corpse for a second and then takes off his helmet. The helmet reveals the hardened plates, the Turian race's version of skin, of a male. His plates are grey. He is also wearing an optical information device which is placed in front of his left eye and is held on his head by a thin metal support that wraps around the left side of his head and around to the back of his skull.

As he looks down at Kasteel's body he can hear Marco walking up to him. Jevings stands next to Archangel and looks down with him. The Turian breaks the silence and, in sarcastic admiration says "Leroy Kasteel".

"I knew him once" Marco adds "When he wasn't so bad".

Archangel chuckles and then says "That's the thing about people; they always change". Then he balls up the fist of the hand that is not holding the sniper rifle and changes his tone from sarcastic to serious. "A few months ago, he led the assault on a Blood Pack hideout here on Omega. The Blood Pack was using one of the resident levels as a front for their trades. Leroy, here, took his Blue Suns and shot at anything that moved. Humans, Turians, Salarians…" his voice turns deeper and darker. "The Blue Suns shot the men indiscriminately and the Blood Pack used the women as shields". Marco interrupts to finish the story. "And the children were caught in the middle".

Archangel points his rifle at Leroy's chest and fires one more shot. The body jolts from the force and impact then goes motionless again. "I finally got you, you bastard".

"You're welcome" Marco says.

"Touché" Archangel replies. "How can I return the favor"?

Jevings gets down to business. "I'm heading into the Terminus systems and I'm going to need certain items. Items someone in your line of work may have an abundance of".

"Come back to our hideout with us. I'll see what I can spare. Just keep an eye on the girl".

Marco nods and Archangel turns back to his men. "Alright, let's move out". All of the Turians turn off their weapons, which makes them fold into themselves, and place them on their proper holsters. Marco lightly holds Ish's left arm and helps her walk with the restraints. "Don't worry, Ish" he says "They're not going to hurt you".

"You're lucky I don't have a choice" she replies.

Then Marco gives her a huge smile and says "So you do trust me". He makes sure to look at her face to see if she returns the smile. But she doesn't. His own smile disappears. The cargo bay doors open and Marco and Ish walk out with Archangel and his men.


	3. Chapter 3

Minutes later, Archangel leads the group down a long dim corridor on one of Omega's unpopulated levels. This level is more of a maintenance floor than one built for residence or commerce. The sound of the large machines that keep the station powered and stable fills the level with a soft constant hum. Jevings and Ish are at the center of the group surrounded by the Turians. It isn't long before they reach the end of the hallway where a secured door is. The holographic interface in front of the door flashes red but, with a wave from Archangel's omni-tool, it turns green and the doors open.

As the group walk in Ish immediately starts to scan her surroundings. The room is large but not tall. To her right are stools to sit on, a table with a computer on it, and a couple of make shift cots. Two of the Turians remove their helmets and lay down on the cots when they get to them. All of the other Turians take off their helmet as well and place them to the left of the room which is occupied by individual storage lockers for each man, weapon racks and equipment crates. The room has no windows.

As the door shuts behind them, Archangel looks at Marco and points to a corner in the far end of the room. "Put her there" he says. The Turian leader turns left to converse with his men and Jevings leads Ish to the corner. Only a few meters from the corner is a door that leads to another room. Marco extends his arm and opens his palm, welcoming the Asari woman to the corner. "Just stand here" he says "I'm going to talk with Archangel and see what he can give us for our mission".

"I just stand here" Ish surprisingly asks as she notices the exit is a straight shot from where she is now. "You can sit if you like" Marco replies. Then he notices Ish trying to look at the exit door without making it appear obvious. He knows that skill because he has it also. Knowing where the exit is and having an escape plan is the sign of a good mercenary and a good survivor.

"Please don't try anything" Marco pleads.

"Your Turian friend is lazy. He is going to leave me here unguarded with a clear shot to the exit"? Jevings steps to the side so he can block Ish's view of the doorway. He doesn't do it to get in her way. He does it just in case any of the Turians were watching her. He wanted to thwart any suspicious thoughts they might have had if they saw Ish staring at the door. "Archangel is trusting me because I vouched for you" he says "Besides, knowing Archangel, that door is booby trapped to explode if anyone besides him and his men touch it".

He then gently places his hand on her arm. Ish snaps her head to look at his arm and then snaps it back to face Marco dead in the eyes. Understanding what that means he slowly takes his hand off her arm. "Just stand here. This will only take a few minutes and then we will leave and go after the data disk".

Ish lets out a single "Ha" and says "The last time you said that I almost died".

Remembering that he did say that to bait the mercs into their deaths, Marco tilts his head toward Ish to emphasize his genuine intentions. "This time, I mean it" he says "Trust me". Ish doesn't answer. But she does notice two of the Turians approaching them from behind Jevings. The soldier wearing the white armor and the one wearing the grey armor move in closer holding their weapons in their hands but in their standby positions.

"We'll keep an eye on her for you" says the man in the white armor.

Jevings looks back at Ish. "Not as lazy as you thought".

Archangel walks up to the nearby doorway and calls Jevings over. "This way, Marco".

Jevings walks away from Ish, leaving her to the two guards, and follows Archangel into the second room. This room is different from the last. It is a lot smaller. There is a workbench on the right with a computer terminal on it. In front of the table is a chair with arm cushions and back support. It is much more advanced than the standard stool his men have to sit on in the other room. On the opposite wall is Archangel's personal weapon rack and storage locker which is much bigger than the other ones. This locker can fit four of the smaller ones in it. The room feels like an office but is missing the personal touches. There are no photos or anything else that may be leisurely. This is a room for work.

Archangel places his helmet on top of his locker and puts his sniper rifle on the rack. Then he walks up to his computer terminal and turns it on. "Give me a second, Marco".

While he works on the computer Jevings takes the time to lift up his shirt and analyze the area where he was shot. The rib where the blank shot hit him is now bruised. "Holy shit, Angel" Marco says "If you missed by half an inch that shot would have went through my lung". Archangel speaks to Marco without taking his attention off of the computer. "Stop crying. I knew what I was doing".

The doors behind Marco open again and the brown armored Turian, Revenant walks in. With his helmet off Jevings can see the man's face. The plates that make up the Turian's mouth, chin, nose and cheeks are light beige but the rest of his head has a brownish complexion. The two men acknowledge each other. "How have you been, Sidonis?" Marco says. Sidonis pats Jevings on the back. "It's been a while, Marco. I've been good. What about you"? Jevings shows the Turian his bruised rib. "See for yourself". Sidonis looks at the bruise for a second and then back at Marco. "At least you look better than Leroy". Jevings puts his shirt back down. "Still hurts like hell though". Archangel lets out a sound that is meant to imitate a baby crying.

The two men laugh and then Sidonis walks up to Archangel. "I just finished my sweep of the computer in the front" he says "It hasn't been hacked". Archangel turns off his terminal. "Yeah, this one looks clean too".

"That's good" Sidonis says "I also noticed we are running low on food". Archangel lets out a long hum as he caresses his chin with the fingers of his left hand. "It's Armageddon's turn, right?" he asks. The other Turian takes a second to think before affirming the question. Archangel puts his arms back to his side. "Tell him to make a deal with our Volus contact".

Marco noticed that Sidonis looked disappointed by Archangel's order. But, before the Turian leader could ask what's wrong, Revenant speaks. "You don't want to trade with the Humans again? The last time, they gave us enough food for a month".

Archangel nods his head before responding. "I know" he says "But we need to be unpredictable. We can't leave a pattern for our enemies to discover".

"Makes sense" Revenant replies "I'll tell Armageddon right away". And with that, Sidonis turns around and leaves the room, giving Jevings a respectful nod as he passes him.

Archangel turns his attention to Marco and walks toward his storage locker. "Okay, let's see what we've got". The Turian opens the locker. It is full of all types of equipment, small containers, gadgets and weapons. Everything is organized. The gadgets are on the top shelf and the canisters on the middle. The pieces of equipment are arranged from smallest to biggest on the bottom shelf and all of the weapons, which are mostly shotguns and assault rifles, are standing upright at the bottom of the locker. Archangel pulls a large briefcase out of the locker, opens it and starts to place items in it.

"I'm going to give you a pack of thermal clips with armor-piercing rounds. Here's some smoke grenades and a couple of thermal optics for your guns so you can see through the smoke"

"Nice" Marco says as he takes the items from Archangels hands and puts them in the briefcase. "Do you have any omni-gel"?

Archangel reaches for the shelf with the canisters. "More than enough" he answers as he pulls out two liters of the gel. "Omni-gel is becoming obsolete ever since C-Sec started campaigning for better security. The Council worlds and the Alliance have already started to use the new security measures so omni-gel is useless there". Archangel hands Marco the liters of gel. "But I doubt the Terminus systems got the memo yet so use it while you still can".

"Thanks" Marco says.

"Don't thank me yet. I'm not done. You helped me get Leroy so I'm going to give you a little more". The Turian continues to pull out items and help Marco sort them in the briefcase. He includes stun grenades. Jevings picks one up and holds it in his hands. "You can hold onto your stun grenades, Angel. I have more than enough on my ship".

Archangel laughs and takes the grenade from Marco's hand. "You don't have stun grenades like these" he says hinting at a sense of self admiration "I did a little calibrating and tweaked these to release an electrical voltage that overloads the victim's neural system and paralyzes them. Be careful" he warns "Make sure you are out of its range. These are essentially prototypes and I haven't properly tested them. The paralyses could last a few minutes or the rest of your life".

Marco takes the grenades from his hands and puts them back in the case. "Do you have anything that can hack terminals, data pads, that kind of tech?" he asks. Archangel stays quiet and does not answer. "What is it?" Marco inquires.

"I only have one and that kind of tech is not easy to come by" he says.

"How can I make it worth your while?"

The Turian reaches in his locker and pulls out the hacking device. He rests it on the palm of his hand and stares at it for a few seconds before answering Jevings. "I'll give it to you only if you consider it as advance payment for giving me the next merc leader".

As a mercenary, Jevings never liked the idea of advance payment. It was too trusting for his line of work. If something went wrong and he couldn't deliver what he promised, his employers would most likely place a bounty for his death for feeling cheated. But this time had to be different. His mission depended on the ability to hack secured computers. He needed that device and he was going to make sure he got it. He stands straight, pushes his chest out and looks Archangel in the eye to show how serious he is.

"Tell you what" he starts "Give me that hacking device and, when I'm done with this mission, I'll lure Garm to your crosshairs".

Archangel's eyes widen and his jaw opens up very slightly as if he couldn't believe what he just heard. "Garm?" he repeats "The leader of the Blood Pack"?

Marco doesn't answer. There was no need to answer. Archangel already knows who Garm is. The Krogan Blood Pack leader on Omega is mainly known for his apathy. His apathy for his victims was the same for his underlings. He didn't care about the residents of Omega when he established his hideout on one of their Inhabitants levels. And, when Leroy Kasteel led the assault on his hideout, Garm didn't care when his men used the innocent women as shields. Archangel stares at the hacking device. Giving it up was worth it if it meant getting a chance to kill another merc bastard responsible for that massacre. He gives the small piece of metal to Marco. "Damn, you know how to make it tempting, Marco. Here. But if you don't deliver on your word, you're the one who's going to be in my crosshairs next".

Instead of putting the device in the metal briefcase along with the other items, Jevings puts it in his pants pocket. "You know? You are the fourth person to threaten my life in the past twenty four hours". The mandibles on both of Archangel's cheeks slightly separate from his jaw, giving the Turian version of a smirk as he sees Marco close the briefcase shut and hold it in his right hand. "Good luck, Marco. Stay safe out there".

Jevings returns the smirk but then turns around and walks toward the door. "You don't fool me, Angel" he says "I know you just want me alive so I can keep helping you kill mercs".

"Well, yeah" Archangel replies "But good luck anyway".

Marco stops at the doorway just as it opens. He didn't catch it at first. He thought Archangel was being sarcastic when he wished him luck. But, when he heard him repeat it, he knew it was genuine. Jevings wanted to take one more second to acknowledge it. He turns his head to the Turian and nods.

That simple show of respect is what brought the two men together to form the arrangement they had. While most other mercenaries and assassins stole and killed for money, personal glory or pleasure, Marco and Archangel did it for, what they would feel were more honorable reasons. The difference didn't mean anything to their victims but, to each other, it was what separated them from the monsters. They needed to kill and steal to stop the real thieves and murderers. It is what gave them piece of mind. Or perhaps they were just lying to themselves.

As the doors close behind him, Marco turns to the left corner and sees Ish still in her restraints and still under the guard of the two Turians. When he approaches them Ish looks at him and then to the briefcase. "Okay gentlemen" Marco says "My business here is done. We're ready to leave".

The Turian in the white armor leads Jevings to the exit while the one in the grey armor guides Ish by holding her arm. When the door opens the Turian releases the Asari's restraints. She switches back and forth between rubbing one of her wrists with one of her hands to bring back the circulation. Saying no words, the Turians take a step back to allow the door to close.

"Come on. It's time to go" Jevings orders.

Ish doesn't object. She just keeps up with Marco's pace which has quickly turned from a casual pattern to a speed walk. "Your ship is in landing bay two" she says.

"Good. I just hope Aria got it repaired like she said she would. I don't want to go into the Terminus systems half-assed".

"You won't be going in there half-assed" Ish assures him "You have me". Jevings found her confidence helpful. It was good to know that she had put his recent betrayal behind her and was focused on the task at hand. He wanted to respond by using the term "half-assed" as a double entendre to compliment her physical features, but he felt that doing so would destroy any chance of creating the kind of relationship that would make completing this mission easier. Marco's younger self, however, wouldn't have thought twice before flirting with a woman like Ish.

It isn't long before the Asari and the Human enter the second largest landing bay on Omega. The bay is busy with different species going about their business. Four ships rest on their respective landing pads while one pad is empty. One hundred meters away from them, on the far side of the bay, is the flight control tower.

Ish and Marco walk down the bay together. The first ship they walk past is a Turian supply ship. There are a dozen Turians walking around the ship. Some are carrying crates of supplies and other stacks of equipment. A few are performing maintenance on the ship and the last Turian is ordering the rest about.

A family of Volas comes out of the second ship. Waiting for them are several other Volas, one of which is holding a basket of food. The two groups wobble towards each other. Marco can hear the rate of their mechanical breathing machines increase with their excitement.

The third ship belongs to the Eclipse mercenary gang. Two Asari and two Salarians huddle next to the ship. All of them are wearing the Eclipse uniform of yellow armor with black highlights and stripes. It looks like they are getting ready to depart. One of the Asari hands the others data pads and gives, what sounds like, a mission briefing.

The forth landing pad is the empty one. The flight control operator ordered the pad to remain empty on purpose. It was to be used as a security buffer to keep the fifth ship isolated from the rest of the bay. With the empty pad, it was easy for the guards to see anyone trying to sneak aboard the ship or tamper with it somehow. Two Krogan guards patrol around the ship but then stop when they see Ish. The Asari nods toward them and then turns to Marco. "Wait here" she says "I'll speak to the tower operator and clear us for take off". Jevings doesn't say anything. He barely even notices Ish walking in another direction. He just stares up at the fifth ship in the bay. His ship. The Arrowhead.

Although Marco didn't name the ship, he never changed it after it came into his possession. It was a fitting name because the ship looked like its namesake. The ship is shaped exactly like an arrowhead from the ancient Earth projectile weapon. It is wide, almost triangular shaped, but the edges are sharply curved and the back of the ship is slightly indented inward.

On the dorsal side, there are three windows close to each other. Looking at it from the outside, the three windows are at the front of the ship and are designed to indicate where the bridge of the ship is. Those are the pilot's windows.

The ventral side is where the entrance ramp slants downward to the ground. It is the only way to get onboard the vessel. Besides the ramp are three long landing struts the ship stands on when it lands. Finally, the left and right tips of the Arrowhead are where the ship's engines are housed. The hull of the entire ship is colored grey. The ship is two stories tall, without the landing struts extended, and fifty meters long.

While the outside of the ship is made up of curves, the inside is the opposite. All of the rooms are either rectangular or square shaped. The bridge, which naturally sits in the front of the ship like the windows suggest, is not that much bigger than the interrogation room Marco visited less than a day ago. The pilot's seat and navigation terminal are at the front of the bridge. Behind the pilot seat and on both sides of the room are two other computer stations used for ship operations. There is no forth wall in the back of the room. In fact, a person can see and walk from the bridge to the back of the ship with no obstacles and no breaks in walking pace. The bridge is at a higher elevation from the main level however. When the ramp is closed, and the ship is flying, the ramp angles upward to allow access from the bridge to main level. There are narrow staircases on both sides of the ramp as well. The architecture of the entire ship is designed to be symmetrical.

The ramp connects to a long corridor that runs all the way to the back of the ship. The hallway has four doorways on both sides. The first doorway to the right is Marco's room. Guest quarters are used for the remaining three rooms on the right side.

The first room to the left is the make shift cafeteria. There are two square shaped tables parallel to the wall and four chairs on each table. At the back of the room are several food storage lockers and cooking stations. The next two rooms are more guest quarters and the last room contains the freight elevator which goes down to the lower level where the cargo hold and engine room is. Except for the lower level, the walls that make up the ship's interior are white. All of the doors and panels on the wall are grey.

Most people assume Marco killed its previous owner and stole the ship for himself because this is not a mercenary's ship. Usually, a merc's ship is small and can only hold a few people. Usually, a merc wants his ship to be small. The low profile can be an advantage when sneaking into heavily guarded parts of the galaxy. And a small ship can avoid weapons fire more easily.

While the Arrowhead lacks those advantages, it makes up for them in other ways. The bigger ship is equipped with a more advanced and sophisticated kinetic barrier shield that can deflect more enemy fire than a smaller ship. The larger storage hold can store more cargo which is ideal for making the very profitable delivery jobs easier to complete. And, because the ship looks bigger and better than the standard merc vessel, it has given Jevings a bit of prestige in the mercenary community. Whenever Marco gets an assignment there usually is a long line of would be mercs who want a job where they get their own room, Jevings is picky with whom he chooses and, as a fee for staying on his ship, whoever is hired has to give up a small percentage of their cut of the mission's profit.

The Arrowhead isn't glamorous, however. The ship has seen a good amount of wear and tear. It is older than Marco and there are a few small scorch marks around the hull from past fire fights with other ships. But, despite the flaws, this is Marco's ship and everyone in the galaxy's underworld knows it. Jevings always took pride in that but never let it get to his head. He still dealt with thieves and murderers who would love to make his ship theirs. Hubris is a weakness Marco couldn't afford.

Which is why he didn't smile at the ship when he saw it again. He was glad to see it but he kept it to himself. After taking a minute to scan the ship he looks over to his left to see what Ish is doing. She is off in the distance talking to the Turian flight tower operator. They are too far to hear them talking but he does notice the operator nod several times. After one more nod the Turian walks away from Ish and head back inside the tower.

But, instead of walking back to Jevings right away, she walks up to a nearby public computer terminal. After she presses a few buttons an image of a person appears. From where he is standing, Marco can't make out who it is but he does notice that the primary color on the screen is blue. After about a minute, Ish turns off the terminal and walks back to Marco.

"We've just been cleared for launch" she says. Without saying a word, Marco heads toward the ramp. Ish follows. They walk up the ramp and enter the Arrowhead. Ish looks around the ship, memorizing the layout and gathering her surroundings. Jevings leaves her to that and goes straight for the bridge, skipping a few steps of the thin staircase to get there. He puts the briefcase next to the pilot's chair and sits down. From where she is standing Ish can hear the sound of beeps coming from the navigation terminal. Jevings didn't waste any time getting the ship ready stops scanning the ship to do the same.

Ish walks up the stairs and stands behind Marco. He looks over his shoulder and asks "Do you know how to read systems outputs"?

"Of course" she replies.

"Good. Then have a seat and help me out". Ish does what she is told and begins to operate the station to the pilot's right. The sounds of the beeps from both of their consoles are almost musical. Marco goes down the systems list as he checks them. "I have full control of navigation" he says "Scanning systems are accurate". He then turns to the Asari. "How are the engines"? At first, the console interface confused Ish. They were of a different design from the computers on Omega or even those used on the Council worlds. But she adapted quickly as she realized that this interface was much more efficient. The input layout was literally at her fingertips and the output was programmed to display the information at the user's eye level. "Engine power is optimal. The FTL core is primed and Eezo tanks are full". Ish looks back to Jevings.

"We're ready to go".

"Good" Marco says and inputs the commands into the pilot's terminal. The ramp closes shut, the landing legs retract back into the ship as it now hovers over the ground. The two engines fire and push the Arrowhead out of the Omega's bay and into space. The Arrowhead cuts through space as it picks up speed and heads toward the mass relay which rests at the far end of the solar system. "We'll reach the relay in two minutes" Marco says.

"Where are we going?" Ish asks.

"The Hoplos system". Jevings stays quiet after that knowing that it wasn't what Ish was expecting to hear. Predictably, she turns her chair so her whole body can face the pilot seat to object. "That's at the edge of the galaxy in the Attican Traverse. It's not in the Terminus systems".

"I know that" Marco replies. Then he begins to feel the cold gaze of Ish again. It is the same gaze she gave him when she first saw him. "Lying to Aria is not a smart idea" she says "Lying to me is even more stupid".

Marco lets out an audible exhale and then turns his seat so he can look straight at her. "I'm not lying. Drim's slave processing bases are in the Terminus systems. But he has at least five of them. Rather than go on a guessing game in the Terminus where we could risk being attacked, I'd rather find out exactly where that data disk is and go in and out as fast as possible".

Ish doesn't say anything at first. Marco's plan made a lot of sense to her although she would never admit it to him. In an attempt to come up with something to say to contradict his perfect logic she says "But there's nothing in the Hoplos system".

"Nothing that most people know about". With that, Marco turns his seat to face the navigation computer again. He doesn't give her any time to process his answer. "Was that Aria I saw you talking to at the public terminal?" he asks. Ish had hoped he didn't notice her speaking to her boss but, since he did, she saw this as an opportunity to remind Marco who she worked for. "Yes it was" she says in a strong tone.

"Let me guess; you told her where Archangel's men were hiding".

Ish remains quiet.

"You also told her how many men he had and suggested to send enough mercs to outnumber them." Ish wanted to stay quiet and secretive but realized that doing so would make her appear weak to Marco. She couldn't afford that. She had to remain a threat to Marco's eyes. Her tone of voice filled with apathy. "That's right. Are you going to warn him"?

"No need" Marco replies "Archangel constantly moves around to find new hideouts. And he booby traps the hell out of the old ones just in case someone decides to follow him. Most likely, the mercs you told Aria to send are dead already".

Ish hated that Jevings seemed to always be one step ahead of her. He always knew a little bit more than she did. But she had to keep up the power struggle. Right now, the best way to do that was to act like what he just said didn't bother her. "So how do you know Archangel?" she asks "Are you friends"?

"No" he replies "I'll tell you some other time. We're coming up on the relay".

The navigation console beeps several times in rapid succession. Marco and Ish look out the front window to see the ship approaching the mass relay. The blue light of the relay's mass effect field fills the cockpit. Ish and Jevings wave their fingers over the interface of their respective consoles.

"I'm sending the flight trajectory to the relay now" Marco says "We will be exiting the mass relay in the Hades Nexus". The surface of all the walls and computers on the bridge now look like they were made of bright blue energy. Ish reads the information off of her screen. "All systems are stable".

Marco reads his computer aloud as well. "Mass effect jump in three…two…one…".

As the Arrowhead flies parallel to the mass relay, the ancient machine's two rings spin faster. Then a blue narrow beam bursts out of the field and grabs the ship. In an instant, the Arrowhead disappears and darts to the end of the galaxy, leaving only the thunderous sound of the mass effect blast behind it.


	4. Chapter 4

There is nothing more important to the galaxy's community than the mass relays. It is ironic how the massive machines are always stationary but they are vital to keeping the space faring civilizations moving and growing. They are the highways of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is how a ship can get from one side of the galaxy to the other in just a few minutes.

It is said that most people remember when they see a mass relay for the first time. Marco was just a baby when his infant eyes glimpsed the relay so he was too young to remember. However, his first real memory of first seeing the relay is so vivid and thorough because it is the same day Marco's life changed.

He was nine years old and his head is buried in the pillow of his bed. The cloth of the pillow is wet with his tears. His mother is rubbing his back while shh-ing him trying to calm him down.

Emma Vareno was the kind of mother who would never sway to the sound of her child's cries. While most parents cave into their child's demands to stop their crying, Emma always made a stand. She wasn't a bad mother. In fact, Marco was her only child and he would never have even existed if it weren't for the galaxy's miracles of science. Which was why she loved him so much. It was also the reason why she was such a strong willed mother.

Normally, she would barely acknowledge Marco whenever he cried. She wanted to teach him how life doesn't always give him what he wants and complaining about it is not the best action. Emma wanted her son to be strong like she was. Strong like his father was.

But she was different this day. She had to pretend to be strong. This time, she completely understood why her son was suffering so much. She was crying just as hard just twelve hours ago. It isn't easy for any mother, whether strong or weak, to see their son's chest split open while he lies motionless on an operating table. The image of her trying to look past the water in her eyes just to see Marco's heart beating while barely inside his body will always be burned into her memory.

Emma had to hold her own tears down to keep up the illusion for her son. She couldn't admit to him how every one of his high pitched whelps pierced her heart like a spear. The only thing her emotions and body would allow her to do was rub his back and say "Shh" repeatedly.

Suddenly, the doors to Marco's bedroom open. Emma looks at the entrance while Marco keeps his head in the pillow. He doesn't need to look. He already knows who is at the door.

Christopher Jevings can see the pain in Emma's eyes from the threshold of the doorway. He walks in as softly as he can but being six feet, four inches and having a burly figure makes it difficult. His boots sound like stomps as they hit the metal floor of the ship's deck. Marco puts more of an effort to hold his tears back. He was always told to be strong. Just like his father.

As he makes his way closer to the bed, Emma can see he is still wearing the same clothes he wore the day before. His navy blue long sleeve shirt is a little wrinkled. The cufflinks on the sleeves' wrists are opened. But the rest of the shirt is proper. There are two rows of gold buttons that run from the top of the shirt to the bottom and they are all buttoned in place. His pants match the same color as the shirt and the entire outfit is designed for businessmen, which is why Christopher liked wearing them.

Marco's father stands beside his mother and puts one hand on her shoulder. "How are you holding up?" he asks. Emma wipes a tear with her hand and looks to him. "I'll be okay" she says "It's just that I've never seen him in so much pain before".

Emma found it ironic how Christopher is now rubbing her back. "Me too" he says in a comforting voice "Trust me. The operation was necessary. I've never been so sure of anything in my life". The woman nods her head in agreement and then leans over to Marco again. "Marco, sit up straight" she orders "Your father is here".

The nine year old child slowly pulls his head out of the pillow. He lifts himself up with his right arm and uses the left arm to hold his chest. After he sits up straight his right arm rubs across his face wiping away his tears and brushing his dead hair aside. Marco looks up and sees his father. The tall man's black hair shows signs of grey but his thin clean cut beard is still a youthful black. Christopher smiles and then sits on the bed next to his son.

"It still hurts, huh?"

Marco forces his cries to turn into quiet whimpers and sniffs as he talks to his father. "Yes it does". Christopher then puts his arm around the boy. "The doctors said it will feel uncomfortable at first but you just have to get used to it" he says "You just have to be strong". The child lets out a sniff before saying "I will".

Christopher tightens his hold on Marco. "I'm very proud of you, Marco".

The father stays quiet and lets his son absorb the love for a moment before saying "But you know there's one more thing left to do".

Marco starts to cry again as he thrusts his face into his father's shirt and clenches it with both hands. "No more needles!" he yells "Please!"

The sound of her son begging nearly collapses Emma's veil of strong will. Her legs buckle. She drops to the bed and wraps her arms around Marco and Christopher making her son feel like the center of a sandwich. "This is the last needle, Marco. We promise".

Christopher would like nothing better than to stay there holding his son and Emma but he knew time was a factor. Time was running out and it was running out fast. With his hand he combs his son's dead hair one single time and then slowly breaks free from Emma's arms. When he stands up, he grabs the other two and, with compassion, pulls them to their feet as well. "Come on" he says "The faster we do this, the faster it will be over".

Christopher grabs his son's right hand and Emma grabs her son's left. Doing his best to be strong, young Marco tries not to let the pain in his chest get the better of him. He focuses his attention on holding his parents' hands as tightly as he can. It was his way of channeling the pain. Together, the three of them leave the bedroom.

A short time afterwards, the three of them enter a laboratory on a different deck of the ship. The room is not wide but it is long. Traditional laboratory equipment rests on tables that fill up the left side of the room. Two computer terminals are stationed at the far end. One station is being used by a Salarian wearing a lab coat. Almost all of the right wall is made of glass and is a large window. Looking out of the window, and off into the distance, is a mass relay slowly getting bigger as the ship flies towards it. The only thing on that side of the room is a long table that is standing upright. The table is positioned perpendicular to the window. When Marco sees the table's many clamps opened up like an animal's jaws he comes to a halt and his parents can feel his hands beginning to tremble.

Christopher lets go of his son's hand and turns to Emma. "Get him ready" he says "I'm going to talk with Frilim". Christopher starts to walk to the other side of the room and Emma helps her son make his way to the lab table. She walks at a slow pace making sure not to rush Marco and frighten him even more.

The Salarian scientist turns to face Christopher when he gets close enough. Frilim has worked under him for a long time. The Salarian's skin is dark brown. He is holding a big syringe. The container part of it is the size of a Human fist. A crimson colored liquid nearly fills it up completely. The needle itself is as long as an adult man's middle finger. Christopher approaches the Salarian. "Is it ready?"

"It is" Frilim answers.

"What about…" a slight look of worry crosses Christopher's face "…the other patient"?

Frilim responds with a voice meant to try and quail the man's doubts. "He is still unconscious" he assures him "He should be awake in ten hours".

Christopher nods his head in confirmation.

Then the Salarian doctor looks at the man dead in his eyes. "You should kill him while you have the chance". Jevings returns the gaze. "I want to but I can't" he says "He is the only one who knows where my wife is".

The doctor takes his gaze off of his master and hangs his head almost in shame. Frilim knows Christopher is not going to like what he has to say. "Is one person's life worth losing so much?" he asks "You can lose everything today. Even your life".

Frilim was expecting a scolding but it never came. Instead, Christopher talks humbly. "I'm surprised at you, Frilim. All of these years serving me and you still haven't fully understood the power of Human love. If you did, then you would know that I have to save her. Especially after everything she has done for me".

"With all due respect, sir" Frilim begins "I do understand your love. Other races have learned to control it. But Human love is wild and untamed. Over the years I have seen it be the source of your strength. But I fear today, it will get you killed".

Christopher folds his arms and takes a deep breath as he thinks about what the doctor said. "That's why I had my son go through with the operation first. No matter what happens to me today, I know I won't lose everything". Jevings turns to see Marco being strapped to the table by Emma. "I can live with that". Then he looks back at Frilim. "I can die with that".

"Do you think you will survive?" the Salarian asks.

"I don't know" Christopher answers. Then he lets out a chuckle and a smile which completely surprises Frilim. "What's so funny"?

"'I don't know'" Jevings quotes himself "I haven't said those words in decades".

The doctor looks down the room and sees that Marco is fully strapped in and Emma is comforting him by placing her hands on his cheeks while she talks and smiles at him. "I wish we had more time to do the same operation for you, Emma and your wife".

"We usually have less time in our lives than we think" Christopher replies. Then he looks out of the large window and notices the mass relay is bigger now. "Speaking of which, it's time for you to go. Your shuttle is the only one left".

Frilim nods and gives the syringe to Christopher. "It was an honor serving you". The Salarian then extends his arm and shakes his master's hand. "Good luck, sir". With that, the doctor walks to the other side of the room and exits.

Christopher takes a deep breath and walks to Emma and Marco. His son is tightly secured onto the table which is still in the vertical position. There are straps keeping his wrists, elbows, shoulders, chest, waist, legs and ankles from moving. There is a final strap over Marco's head but it hasn't been tightened yet. The boy can still freely move his head and he turns to see his father holding the large syringe. His pupils dilate, water runs down his cheeks, sweet forms on his brow and his whole body shakes.

Marco's father stands in front of him. Then Christopher bends down on one knee so he can be at his son's eye level. Emma stand behind Jevings with both of her hands on his shoulders. Christopher raises the syringe and holds it in front of Marco so he can see it. "I know this is scary now" he says "But I hope that one day you will see this as a gift".

Emma then operates the table's interface and it jolts into motion. The table goes from the vertical position to the horizontal position. Marco's heartbeat races even more. He doesn't take his eyes off of the syringe. He wants to know where it is at all times. Emma goes to the head of the table. She tilts Marco's head so he is looking at the mass relay which has now filled up the entire window. The light from the blue energy illuminates the lab walls, the table, the syringe and the boy's tears.

Christopher grabs the last strap and locks his son's head into place. Emma holds one of Marco's hands with both of hers. Jevings brings the needle of the syringe closer to the back of his son's neck. "I've always been honest with you, Marco" Christopher says as the needle is nearing the skin "Be strong, son. This is really going to hurt".

Marco begins to hyperventilate and he clutches his mother's hand with the strength of a vice. Emma can see the tears dripping onto the table as his cries get louder and more intense. "Look at the mass relay, hunny" she says "Focus on the relay".

The boy's eyes are so squinted and so full of tears that he could barely see the relay's rings spinning faster. The blue light gets brighter.

Suddenly, the tip of the needle punctures the back of his neck. And, as Christopher drives the entire length of the needle into his son's spine, Marco's scream nearly drowns out the thunderous sound of the mass relay as it propels the ship out of sight.

It is a memory Marco will never forget. He will always remember that pain. From then on, almost every time he went through a mass relay, his subconscious would send a tingling sensation to the back of his neck which will give him goose bumps. Sitting on the pilot's seat of the Arrowhead with Ish behind him didn't change anything. He still rubbed the back of his neck to push the feeling away. Marco knew the discomfort wasn't real. It was a form of post traumatic stress. But he would never visit a doctor or psychiatrist to talk about that day. It is a secret he will never reveal to anyone. Not because he is embarrassed to.

The year was 2124 when that happened, nearly sixty years ago to the day. And Marco doesn't look a day over thirty five. He doesn't tell anyone because he knows no one would believe him. If he told someone, the first thing they would say is "How is that possible"?


	5. Chapter 5

p style="margin: 0px; font-family:  
Helvetica;"span style="font-size: 12pt;"A soft beeping sound comes out of the navigational computer. Marco looks at the corner of the screen and watches the text output. His fingers operate the interface and he tilts his head towards Ish's direction./span/p 


	6. Chapter 6

A couple of hours later, Ish exits her room and walks down the corridor. She is fully awake as she walks past all of the other doors. Ish climbs up the ramp and into the cockpit where she sees Marco already seated at the pilot's seat and operating the navigational controls. Jevings is in his armor now minus the helmet. It is the same design as the ones Human soldiers wear in the Alliance but the colors are different. Instead of the traditional black color, with a streak of red running down the arms, Marco's suit is dark blue with black streaks. The armor is equipped with a standard kinetic shield emitter, a utility belt and omni-tool.

Marco doesn't look back. There is only one other person aboard the ship so he already knows who is standing behind him.

"Did you get a good night's sleep?" he asks.

"Yes" replies the Asari "I slept the whole time".

Marco knows she was lying but wisely makes nothing of it. If he called her out on the lie he would be giving away his secret camera and any other chance to find out more about her personal life.

"The computer said we've arrived at the Hoplos system" she says.

Marco answers "Yes, I just entered the system now".

"So where are we heading"?

"The Aegis planet" Jevings says.

Ish narrows her eyelids out of being slightly confused. "Isn't Aegis an inhabitable gas giant with some rings around it"? Marco gives a quick affirmative which confuses the Asari a little more. "So what's so special about it?" she asks.

Marco answers in a blunt tone. "Nothing. It's completely worthless". He then waits for Ish to ask the most obvious question.

"Then why are we here"?

At this point, Jevings feels more like a teacher than a mercenary. But he couldn't fault Ish for it. She is like a child learning something new. Of course she is going to have questions. Marco isn't bothered by answering them. It reminds her that he knows more than she does. "There is a secret facility hidden in the planet's rings. Think of it as a market where handpicked high class criminals, smugglers, slavers and corrupt officials can conduct business".

As the Arrowhead approaches the Aegis planet, Ish looks out of the cockpit window to see if she can see the facility. "So who handpicks these people?" she asks. Marco keeps his face pointing at the computer screen but rolls his eyes in Ish's direction. "The Shadow Broker".

Ish turns her head away from the window and looks at Marco. He can feel her anger even before she speaks. "Why the hell are you taking us to a secret base owned by the Shadow Broker?" she then throws her arm in the air "Are you trying to get us killed"?

"Please relax" Marco pleads "There's a good chance the Shadow Broker doesn't know where we are and what we're after". Ish snaps her tongue to let out a tss. "It's the Shadow Broker" she spreads her arms wide "Of course he knows we're after his data disk"!

Jevings tone turns from pleading to commanding. "Calm down, I have a plan". The Asari sits on the same seat she sat on before. She sits down so hard the chair's back support bangs into the computer console making a large thud sound echo in the cockpit. "What is it?" she demands.

"I have a contact who works in the facility. I can get him to tell me the location of the base where Drim is keeping the data disk".

Ish lets out a painfully obvious sarcastic laugh. "Another contact". Marco doesn't respond to her sarcasm. He just continues with his plan. "My contact already knows I'm coming. We'll meet him, get the information and get out. If we do this right we won't be in there too long". Ish shakes her head and says "We'll most likely be in there for all eternity".

She then uses her computer to scan the planet's rings for the Shadow Broker's facility. But instead of a full complete and informative stream of information the screen just reads "Unable to scan".

"Something is wrong" Ish says "The ship's scanners are malfunctioning".

"There's nothing wrong with the scanners" Marco calmly says "It's just interference". Ish takes her hands off of the console when she realizes it is useless. "Interference from what, the base"?

Marco plays teacher again. "No. scientists say nearly two million years ago something massive collided with Aegis. There was a huge mass effect explosion which disrupted the nearby space. That disruption still exists today and that's why the facility can't be found with scanners. The only way you can know about this base is if the Shadow Broker chose you to do business in it".

Jevings already knows the next question Ish will ask and gives her the answer just as she opens her mouth. "A long time ago I hacked into the navigational computer of one of Drim's slave ships. I was curious when the flight recorder gave this location. When I came here to investigate, I found this space station".

The Arrowhead gracefully flies between the rocks that make up the Aegis rings. The field isn't thick which is why Marco is able to maneuver his ship through it with ease. The Arrowhead goes forward with intention. Its pilot knows exactly where to go. It isn't long before Marco gets Ish's attention and points out of the window. "There it is".

Hidden deep in the field of rocks, the facility moves in the same direction as the asteroids. A giant metal sphere makes up the main body of the structure. Throughout the main body are many long horizontal cylinder shaped extensions of the structure. Most of these cylinders act as hanger bays for other ships to land in. Aside from the openings of the bays there are no windows or view ports.

The Arrowhead enters one of the bays. With a command from his console the Arrowhead's three landing struts come out from under the ship and the vessel touches down. The sound of the engines powering down echo throughout the bay. Not long after that, the entrance ramp extends downward and Marco and Ish walk down and exit the ship. Both of them have assault rifles strapped to their backs and locked in the close position. Once the pair clear the ship, the ramp automatically closes again.

Aside from the ship, the Asari and the Human, the bay is completely empty. There are no security guards. Ish takes a minute to look around then says "For a secret base the security is pretty lax".

"Don't fool yourself" Marco replies "Our ship was scanned and my ID was confirmed three times before we landed. If my ship wasn't registered to land here the station's canons would have destroyed us. And just because you can't see guards doesn't mean there isn't an impressive security force". Jevings walks ahead of Ish. "Follow my lead, don't cause trouble and watch what you say. There are recording devices everywhere".

Marco is the first to get close enough to the large bay doors for them to open. Ish follows, still rotating her head to absorb her surroundings. They enter a long corridor which, like the hanger bay, has nothing in it except for another pair of doors on the far side. When they get closer, Ish realizes they are elevator doors. The doors open and they enter the elevator. Marco looks at the control panel and presses the button for the main deck. The lift moves downward at a painfully slow pace. The speed is almost unbearable. Ish taps her fingers on the side of her legs to pass the time. Her patience quickly runs out.

"All the influence and money in the galaxy and the Shadow Broker can't even afford better elevators" she says.

Marco looks to Ish. "It's you". The Asari shakes her head trying to understand what he said. "What do you mean, 'it's me'"?

"I'm registered to be here but you're not. Right now, your ID is being scanned and it will be decided if you are allowed to see the base or not".

Knowing the rumors of the Shadow Broker's severity, Ish is almost afraid to ask but does so anyway out of curiosity. "What if I'm not allowed to enter"?

Marco doesn't sugar coat the answer. "Then the elevator will fill with a neurotoxin gas and we both die". Ish tries not to let his answer bother her. She just stands there quietly while secretly holding her breath. Suddenly, the elevator picks up speed. After a few seconds more, it comes to a stop.

"Congratulations" Marco says.

Ish finally exhales as the doors open. The Asari drops her jaw as they step out of the elevator. They enter a large multi-floored promenade. She looks up and can barely see the ceiling. The reason why all of the other rooms are so empty is because all the activity is focused in this one massive chamber. Each of the many levels has stores of gun merchants, slave merchants, bars, kiosks, corporate transactions and every other aspect of the illegitimate nature of the galaxy. Ish has seen small slave markets before but, what makes this so shocking, is that all of the businesses are being done in a civilized manner.

The floors are mostly full of Turians, Batarians, Volus and Salarians. There are very few Humans and Hanar and even fewer Asari and Krogan. But, no matter what their race, everyone is wearing a business suit. They walk the floors at a casual pace as if they were window shopping at a mall. The secretive nature of the facility gives them the piece of mind to conduct their businesses without fear of being discovered or arrested by any of the galaxy's law enforcement agencies such as Citadel Security. Despite the illegal transactions that occur here there are no thugs, would be assassins or desperate mercs looking for a quick payout. At least not in the traditional sense of the words. The customers and merchants of this facility are corporate executives, successful guns for hire, expensive weapons and narcotics dealers and slavers with only the best of properties.

Only a few passer bys are carrying fire arms on their backs or belts but it is only out of habit or their own paranoid nature. Everyone feels completely safe when they do business here. After all, everyone was chosen by the Shadow Broker to be there. So killing another customer, or stealing from him, or swindling him out of a transaction is the same as insulting the Shadow Broker himself. And that is something no one wants to do.

The place is filled with the mumbles of conversations and sales. Occasionally, a computer's voice is heard and acts as a directory. No one is screaming. Even the slaves are quiet. Either through brainwashing or other forms of subjugation, they have accepted their roles.

Marco walks a few steps into the crowd before realizing Ish is not following him. He turns around and sees the Asari woman looking around still completely overwhelmed by the nature of the facility. He goes back to her and grabs her forearm. "Come on. You can't stand there like that" he says "You're going to draw attention to yourself. Try to pretend like you have been here before". Jevings continues forward still holding her arm like a parent dragging a child who is shocked at being in an amusement park for the first time.

This being the main floor out of the multi leveled chamber, it is the most crowded. Every few seconds, Marco gently nudges someone out of his way. Ish is starting the match pace with Jevings. The reality and shock is beginning to settle down now. She can see Marco is heading toward a staircase on the far side of the level. The stairs lead to the second floor.

She doesn't mind Jevings holding her arm and forcing her to walk. If it were not for him, she probably would still be standing just outside the elevator. She looks to her left and sees several gun merchants displaying their merchandise to the customers. One merchant is holding the weapon with one hand and pointing at the gun's features with the other.

Then they walk past a stage where an auction is being held. A Turian is on the stage along with several objects of art and ancient artifacts from different worlds. A large crowd of other races stand by the stage and watch as the Turian presents each piece. The auction is being conducted peacefully. None of the auctioneers are screaming or fighting each other for the nest bid. Instead, they stay quiet and just raise their hands to make a bid.

Ish then looks to her right and, disgusted by what she sees, stops walking. Marco had just reached the staircase and was about to grab the rail when he feels Ish's arm being yanked out of his grasp. He turns around and sees Ish looking in another direction with nothing but hatred on her face.

When he sees what she is looking at he could hardly blame her. A group of Batarians in business suits are presenting their merchandise. They are talking to some potential Salarian customers and behind them are cages full of slaves. All of the slaves are Asari children around the same age as Ish's daughter Braiala. Having been here before, Marco knew these kiosks were here but was hoping Ish would not notice. He mumbles a curse and is helpless to watch the Asari woman walk up to the slave cages.

Ish walks past the customers and the Batarians and grabs the bars of the cage. She looks at the children one at a time and thoroughly scans each one of their faces. Suddenly, one of the Batarians grabs her shoulder and pulls her away from the cage. He gives Ish one more shove and stands between her and the cages. "Hey, what are you doing?" he yells "If you want one you have to get in the back of the line".

"Release these children right now or I'll pull out each one of your eyeballs and shove them up your ass" she orders.

Marco jumps in front of Ish and the slave trader. He is careful to only gently grab Ish's arms. He doesn't want her to take her anger out on him. "Ish, calm down" he says. Her voice is full of anger it gets the attention of everyone in ear shot. The nearby customers and passer bys stop to watch the drama that is playing out.

"Look at what he's doing to those children"!

Marco then grabs the sides of Ish's face with both of his hands and forces her to make eye contact with him. He wasn't sure if it was the smartest idea but a crowd was forming. He can feel the curious gaze of dozens of people on him. He had to act fast before the station's security force came to investigate.

"Ish, that's not why we're here" he says "Remember why we're here".

His words offered no comfort. They just reminded her that she couldn't do anything about the enslaved Asari children. It took her a moment but she finally saw the look of urgency on Marco's face. After that, she felt the eyes of the people around her. In frustration she lets out a loud shout of protest, grabs Jevings' hands and shoves them back at him. With the look on her face Marco was expecting her to charge at the Batarian trader but she doesn't. She turns around and speed walks away from the kiosk, heading towards the staircase. Marco breathes a sigh of relief and walks with her. Halfway up the stairs Marco says "And you're worried I'm going to get us killed". Ish doesn't respond. He didn't expect her to. When they reach the top of the stairs Marco points to his left at a lounge named "The Hegemeny". The entrance to the bar is twenty meters from the staircase.

Jevings is the first to enter the lounge. It is specifically made to serve and cater to Batarians. There is Batarian music playing from the speakers. All of the employees are Batarian women and virtually all of the patrons are Batarian men. There are two Turians and a Vorcha talking to their Batarian friends.

Marco looks around the area while talking to Ish. "My contact should be here any minute. Let's get a drink".

Jevings and Ish slowly walk to the bar looking at any patrons who enter their field of vision. Some of the men stare at the Asari's breasts and ass as she walks past them. When they get to the bar they each take a seat. The Batarian bartender approaches them from the other side of the bar.

"We don't really get any Asari or Human customers here" he says "I'm afraid we don't have any Human drinks".

"Anything from Thessia?" Marco asks.

The Batarian thinks about the answer. "I have one bottle of….something. But it's very old. I'll give it to you for half price".

A little disappointed, Jevings just places his palms flat on the counter. "We'll just have two glasses of water, please". The bartender nods his head and walks away. Marco turns to Ish. He can see she is still a little distraught over the incident downstairs. "What got into you back there?" he asks.

Ish filters the last remaining rage she has into her answer. "I hate Batarians. I wish I can kill every one of them". Marco quickly looks around to see if any of the patrons heard that. When the coast seems clear he leans over to Ish and whispers "This isn't exactly the best place to say something like that".

"I don't care" she replies in a tone that is anything but a whisper "Let them start something".

"I'm serious" Marco says "This is a place where people can do business peacefully. There's no violence allowed".

Ish finally takes her mind off of her emotions and faces Marco. "What is this place? I've never seen anything like it".

Just then, the bartender returns and puts the glasses of water in front of them then walks away. Marco takes his glass and takes a sip before answering. "To keep it secret this place doesn't officially have a name. But, for those of us who come here often, we call it The Forum".

Ish stays quiet as she takes in the information. She grabs her cup and drinks the water. Marco takes another sip himself before deciding to repeat his question. "What happened to you"? Ish is reluctant to say anything but, when she feels the anger swelling again, she decides that talking might help. "Seeing those children" she pauses "They just reminded me of my daughter".

Marco pretends to act surprised. He didn't want to make her suspicious of what he did the night before. "I didn't know you had any children".

Ish tries to make her tone cold and heartless but her thoughts stay with her daughter and she was never angry with her. She speaks to Marco in the same light hearted voice she uses for her child. "There's a lot about me you don't know".

"That's because you won't tell me" Jevings says "We all have our secrets but it's a bad thing when they become a burden to you".

The Asari nods her head very slightly and slowly twirls her glass. "What makes you so sure"? Marco grabs his cup and downs the rest of the water like if it was hard liquor. "Because I've seen that look on your face before" he says as he puts the empty cup on the table "I was the same way when I lost my kid".

Ish finally moves her head and turns to face Marco who is already looking at her. Their eyes meet and, for the first time, it is not meant to struggle over dominance. Ish shows empathy as he talks. "I had a son" he starts "He was seven years old and with his mother on the Citadel. She took him shopping for new a new book. He loved to read and was smart for his age". Ish nods again because she understands what it is like to be a proud parent of a bright child. She continues to listen, feeling a strange form of comfort knowing that she is not the only one burdened with the same pain. "Then some C-Sec officers were chasing a pack of Vorcha. They were smuggling something and they didn't want to surrender without a fight. They started a firefight with the officers in the middle of the public street. My son was caught in the crossfire and he died".

There is a moment of silence as if both Marco and Ish are paying their respects to his son. Ish breaks the silence and says "Braiala".

"Excuse me" says Marco.

"My daughter's name is Braiala" she repeats. She didn't thank him but she was grateful for sharing his story. She felt the need to reciprocate. She wanted to comfort him the same way he did with her. "A year ago my daughter was attending a school that teaches young Asari how to channel their biotic abilities. She was on a transport to visit me for the Holiday of the Goddess. Batarian slavers disabled the transport and enslaved all the passengers. Including my daughter".

Jevings puts the pieces together. "So when you saw the Asari children downstairs-" Ish finishes his sentence for him "I thought I had finally found her". Marco can see the anger building up again inside the Asari woman. Her fist balls up and her back straightens out. "Don't take this the wrong way" she says "But it's easier when your child is dead. At least you can say your good byes, put them to rest and move on with your life. It's different for me. I don't know if she is dead or alive". She bangs her fist on the bar table. The table buckles and the nearby glasses tremble in fear. "And, if she is alive, then she is a slave to some pig who is doing who knows what to her".

Marco interrupts her by putting his hand on top of her fist. He did it out of sympathy but he also wanted to calm her down. He wasn't sure if Ish would make good on her threat and start shooting all of the Batarians in the bar. "I'm sorry" he says "Now I understand why you hate Batarians so much. And you're right; I can't imagine what that feels like living with those thoughts everyday for the past year".

His show of compassion worked. Ish was calming down again. He felt her fist loosening and her posture relaxing. Marco was about to comfort her again when a Batarian male wearing a business suit suddenly sits on the bar stool next to her. The man moves his stool closer to the Asari, deliberately intruding on her personal space. With Ish between Marco and the Batarian, her body tenses up again. She quickly balls her fist again and raises it to throw a fist. When Marco looks over Ish and realizes who it is, he quickly grabs the fist mid throw.

"Calm yourself, sweetie" the Batarian says "Remember, violence isn't allowed here".

Feeling that Jevings is moving her arm back to the table, Ish looks at him. Jevings says "This is the guy we are here to meet".

The man extends his hand to Ish and says "The name's Gretell. Always a pleasure to meet a beautiful Asari". Unsurprisingly, Ish does not return the hand shake. Without saying anything she violently pushes her chair back, stands up and walks to the chair that is on Marco's other side. She sits down and now Marco is in the middle of the three.

Jevings gets straight to business. There is no time for chit chat. The longer they are in The Forum the greater their chances of being discovered are. "Do you have it?" he asks.

Gretell reaches into the vest pocket of his suit and pulls out a Batarian data pad. The frame of the tablet is brown and the orange holographic screen is transparent. When Gretell hands over the data pad, Marco can see the bar table through the screen. "For my security, I encoded the data" he says "So I hope you have something that can break into it".

"I do" Marco says as he puts the pad in the back casing of his armor.

Coming from a different world than these types of criminals, Ish is more prone to suspicion when it comes to making deals. She is surprised when Jevings accepts the Batarian's encoded pad without proving its authenticity. "Wait, you're just going to take his word for it?" she objects to Marco "How well do you know him? What does he do here"?

"Every ship that comes to this facility has to surrender their flight path before they can dock" he answers "Gretell's job is to record and organize all of that information". With a sense of pride in his job, the Batarian adds more information. "When Marco told me he was looking for Drim it was easy for me to get the ship's flight data. That data pad will tell you the location of his headquarters. I also included the base's layout, his schedules for slaving runs as well as Drim's slave manifest".

Rather than being excited about the specifics, Ish is very suspicious and she voices her concerns. "How can you possibly know all that"?

Marco rotates his stool to turn to Ish and says "Because he used to be Drim's second in command". Her jaw drops in disbelief and she gets off of her chair to scold Marco. "Are you stupid, Marco?" she says "He'll warn Drim about us. This could be a set up".

Gretell stays calm through the accusation. "You got it all wrong, Asari. I'm helping Marco because Drim screwed me out of a deal and left me for dead. Besides, Marco helped me get my job here, so I am paying off a debt. You have to trust me".

"I don't trust you!" Ish yells back.

Now showing signs of frustration, Gretell pleads with Jevings. "Put your bitch on a leash, Marco". Ish then starts to move toward Gretell. The Batarian doesn't flinch. He knows that Jevings knows of The Forum's rules and wouldn't break them. Just as he suspected, Marco reaches out for Ish and stops her advance. He looks at her the same way he did downstairs during her previous outburst. Without saying a word, he reminds her to stay focused and remember why they are there. It took a few seconds but Ish gets the message and backs down.

"She's edgy" Gretell taunts.

Ish just stands there praying to the Goddess that an announcement be made over the speakers suspending the rules.

"She's just saying what I'm thinking" Marco says. Ish was a little proud that he took her side.

"Come on, Marco. That's not fair" Gretell objects "You helped me so I'm helping you. Besides, you know the rules. No violence, no stealing and no swindling. If I'm lying to you then may Taz come and shoot me in the back of the head right now".

Marco chuckles and then gets off the stool. "Relax. I know you're legit. And I appreciate this".

Gretell reaches out and shakes Marco's hand. "No problem" he says "And if you happen to kill Drim I will be in your debt again".

Marco nods his head then turns to Ish and says "Let's get out of here". The Asari and the Human walk out of the lounge and back to the main chamber of The Forum. When they reach the staircase again a loud, strong, commanding voice is heard.

"Stop right there, Human" the voice demands.

Being the only human in the vicinity, Marco and Ish turn around to see a squad of five soldiers wearing black and white armor with holstered weapons. The squad is made of three Turians and two Batarians. The commander is one of the Turians.

"Face the edge and put your hands on your heads!"

Ish and Marco put their hands on their heads and turn to face the edge. They both look down to the first level which is full of people looking up at them, curious about the commotion that is being made. Jevings can see the elevator doors on the far side of the level.

"Marco Jevings" the squad leader says "The Shadow Broker wants us to ask the two of you a few questions".

"Fuck" Ish whispers to Marco.

"We have nothing to say to him" Marco replies in defiance.

"Shut up" the Turian orders "You're lucky he wants you alive for interrogation. If it were up to me, you would be dead already". He then points to them, turns to his men and says "Secure their weapons and restrain them".

The two Batarians walk toward Marco and the other two Turians go for Ish. Their pacing is slow and cautious. They carefully watch the body language of the two prisoners.

But Marco's mission is too important and the elevator doors are too tempting. Jevings and Ish simultaneously turn their heads to look at each other. They speak without words and share each other's thoughts without using any known forms of telepathy. They can't see behind them but they know exactly where the soldiers are.

The Batarian behind Marco pulls out his restraints and snaps it open. The sound starts the action like the gunshot at the starting line of a race.

Marco quickly turns around and kicks the Batarian in his gentiles. The man drops his restraints and screams in agony. When he bows forward to ease the pain Marco shoves him to the other Batarian. The two of them lose their balance and fall to the floor. Marco turns around and slides down the staircase's railing.

Ish quickly turns around and grabs the wrist of the Turian guard and twists it with all of her strength. The man drops his restraints and screams in agony. When his joints and bones force him to bow forward so the arm won't snap out of place, Ish throws one biotic bolt at the other Turian and then one at the squad leader. The two of them crash into the floor. Ish then throws her knee to the face of the Turian who is at her mercy. When he drops she lets go of his wrist and jumps over the edge of the second level. While falling, she points her arms toward the ground. They quickly glow purple and her velocity begins to get slower.

Her feet touch the ground as softly as if she just got out of bed and she lands just as Marco reaches the bottom of the staircase. The two then run into the crowded level and sprint toward the elevator, pushing aside the now panicking bystanders.

The squad leader is the first to get back on his feet. "Get up! Get up!" he barks. The Turian and the Batarian who only got knocked down get up slightly faster than the two who received direct damage. The leader points at the Turian favoring his sprained arm. "Stay on the second level that way you can tell us where they are". The soldier nods his head and runs down the second level. Then the squad leader looks to the remaining men. "The rest of you, follow me"! The Turian leads the charge down the staircase in pursuit of Marco and Ish. His men follow him although one of the Batarians is still limping from the low blow.

The level is slightly more crowded than it was when they arrived. Marco and Ish are doing their best push everyone who is in their way but it is slowing them down. Fortunately for them, their pursuers are facing the same difficulty.

The Turian leader is constantly ordering the crowd to move out of his way. Some do so quicker than others. The Volus are the biggest obstacles. Their small stature and round bodies prevent them from sprinting as fast as other races. The squad leader's anger and frustration quickly build up. He stops running and yells at the crowd. "Everyone get down on the floor now"!

As the order passes through the promenade everyone on the first level throws themselves to the floor. Some are crouching unafraid of the action but most of them are in a standing fetal position with their hands on their heads. The Turian was hoping that Ish and Marco would the only ones standing but they are nowhere to be seen. The Batarian behind the leader looks around in confusion. "Where did they go?" he asks.

"They're hiding in the crowd. Find them" says the Turian. He then looks up to the soldier who remained on the second level. "Do you see them"?

"No" the wounded Turian answers.

The leader curses to himself and begins to scan the crowd. His men spread out and do the same.

Almost a minute passes by and there is still no sign of the two fugitives. The Turian on the second level continues to look down. Suddenly, his peripheral vision catches a woman with a purplish skin complexion. The woman's hands are covering the top of her head making it hard to get a good look at her face. But then the woman makes the mistake of turning her head to face upward at him. When they make eye contact all doubts leave the soldier. He points at Ish and yells "There they are"!

"Damn it" Ish whispers as she gets up and grabs her assault rifle from her back. The firearm opens up and unfolds in her hands. She aims upward at the soldier on the second level and fires. The Turian throws himself to the floor and lands on his arm. Although he cries in pain he is thankful when he heard the thermal rounds hit the metal railing instead of him.

Ish then throws another biotic ball which hits the other Turian standing close to the leader. Marco also pulls out his weapon and fires in the soldiers' direction. They drop to the floor for cover. "Now's our chance" Jevings says to Marco.

Ish was about to start running again when she saw a familiar face among the crowd. The Batarian slaver who was selling the Asari children is crouched ten meters to her right. He was one of those who was not afraid when the fight started. He looks dead at Ish who stares right back. Ish raises her weapon, looks down the sights and fires a burst. With deadly precision, the three rounds hit their mark on the slaver's head and he collapses.

Their sense of security shattered, the crowd screams and panics when they realize they are no longer safe on The Forum. Every one of them runs in a different direction. Some stampede to the left while others stampede to the right. And all of them get in the way of the soldiers.

Marco and Ish have it a little easier as they sprint towards the elevator. The bystanders give them as much space as possible hoping they don't fire more shots into the crowd. When the two of them get to the elevator Marco punches the lift's call button. A few seconds later, the doors open. Marco jumps in but sees Ish hasn't. "What are you waiting for?" he yells.

"I'm going to slow them down". With that, Ish puts her hands together and they glow brighter than Marco has ever seen them. When the Asari spreads her hands apart, a small sphere grows between them. The further apart the hands become the bigger the sphere gets. First it is the size of a fist. Then it is the size of her head. When her arms are spread as wide as she could make them, the singularity sphere is the size of a table. Marco has never seen a sphere that big before. When it is complete, Ish lets go of it and it hovers over the ground successfully blocking the doorway to the elevator. Ish enters the elevator but stumbles in, almost losing her balance.

When the doors close, Marco reaches into his utility belt and pulls out the hacking device Archangel gave him. He places it on the elevator control panel and his fingers operate it as fast as he can. The elevator starts to move upward picking up speed as it goes.

"I have to disable the lift's ventilation system before they release the neurotoxin" he tells Ish.

With all his focus on the control panel he didn't notice Ish is leaning on the wall of the lift. Her hands are using the wall to keep herself balanced and standing upright. Her head spins as a wave of dizziness almost overtakes her. She tries to speak to Marco but her voice is sluggish. "What about…the ship"?

After a few more commands, Jevings takes the device off oh the panel and puts it back in his pocket. "Did it. I severed all links to the lift. They can't send any commands now" he says as he turns around to see Ish almost on the floor. He kneels down and helps her back on her feet.

"What's wrong?" he asks.

She takes a deep breathe to prepare herself for the answer. "I never made a singularity that size before" she says, her voice slightly improving "It took a lot out of me".

The lift stops and the doors open to reveal the long empty hallway.

"Come on" Marco says. He puts one of her arms over his shoulder and wraps his arm around her back. Jevings walks as fast as he can while trying to keep Ish standing. Ish herself is still struggling with her dizziness but manages to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She leans on Marco for support and together they make their way to the other end of the corridor.

"Almost there, Ish" he says "We get inside the ship, fire up the engines and run like hell".

When they reach the door, Marco presses the door interface. When the doors open they can see that the room is not as empty as it was when they first arrived. Seven men made up of Batarians, Human, Salarian and Turians are waiting for them in front of the Arrowhead. All of them are armed and wearing the same black and white uniform as the previous group.

Still holding Ish, Marco walks further into the hanger bay. He stops just several meters in front of the new squad commander.

"Drop your weapons" the leader orders. Marco and Ish do what they are told. The leader then orders his men. "Surround them". The other six men quickly form a circle around the two.

Ish tilts her head so that her lips are as close to Marco's ear as possible. "When I tell you, let go of me and drop to the floor".

Marco doesn't nod or grunt or give any method of acknowledgment. He knows doing so will give them away.

"Arrest them".

Two men approach Marco from behind him. Both of them are holding restraints. Jevings looks around the circle trying to find a weak spot.

Suddenly, he hears Ish's breathing getting heavier with each breath. Her exhales get louder. Then her entire body starts to glow. Completely engulfed in the purple hue, Ish screams "Now"!

Marco lets go dives to the floor covering his head with his hands.

"Shoot her!" shouts the leader.

But he gave the order too late. The Asari bows forward and wraps her arms around her chest as if she is about to go into the fetal position and, for half a second, her body was completely suspended in mid air. Then, with a fearsome war cry, Ish spreads her arms and legs as far out from her body as she can. A giant biotic shockwave burst out of her body and is unleashed in every direction. The shockwave hits everything in the hanger bay. The soldiers are sent flying off of their feet. Some smash into the walls. Three of them, including the leader crash into the hull of the Arrowhead head first. Two of the soldiers went through the force field, that keeps the bay pressurized, and into space. When the shockwave hits the walls some of the bulkheads fall out. The blast was so strong, even the Arrowhead gently rocked back and forth on its landing struts.

After the blast dissipates Marco, while still on the floor, lifts his head and looks around. None of the soldiers are standing. In fact, they are barely moving. He then looks at Ish who is collapsed and passed out on the floor. He jumps to his feet and goes to her body.

"Ish?" he says.

He calls her name again but she is still unresponsive and motionless. Jevings puts his ear next to her nose and can hear very faint breathing. He activates his armor's omni-tool and punches in several commands. The Arrowhead's ramp descends and touches the bay's floor.

Marco puts his arms under Ish's body and picks her up. He can start to hear a couple of the soldiers moaning. Carrying the Asari woman in his arms, he walks up the ramp of his ship. When he is inside, the ramp closes, the landing struts fold back into the ship, the engines fire up and the Arrowhead flies out of the hanger bay.


	7. Chapter 7

An aroma fills the room. The smell, like before, is thick and sweet and very familiar to her. It hugs her nose and kisses it gently. The scent was so strong it satisfied her taste buds as well. Ish lets out a moan of pleasure. It was the first sign of consciousness she has displayed in hours. The second sign was a smile. She liked where she was at. She is on a soft bed with her head resting on a fluffy pillow. As the smell of the soup fills her nose the sound of humming fills her ears. The gentle melody creates an ambience of pure bliss and peace. It pushes aside all worries and is designed to put whoever hears it to sleep.

The moment is perfect. All of her other senses are so satisfied there is no need to open her eyes. Ish snuggles her body in the bed sheets and lets out another sensual moan. "I love that song" she whispers to herself. Then the humming stops.

"Me too".

The sound of a man's voice pops her peaceful bubble. Her eyes snap open but all she can see is the white wall of the room. She quickly turns her body around and swings her legs over the edge of the bed. As she sits upright, Marco grabs her shoulder.

"Take it easy, Ish" he says "Don't get up too fast. Relax".

The Asari woman wished she was warned a second earlier. As soon as she sat up a wave a dizziness swept over her. She grabs her head with her hands to keep it from spinning. The attempt is partially successful but a new pain arrives. It pulsates in her head like a marching drum. Another moan comes out of her but, this time it is a moan of discomfort.

"Where am I"?

"We're in your room on the Arrowhead" Marco replies.

Ish looks around the room, fighting the dizziness as she gets her bearings. Jevings is sitting on the chair in front of the table next to the bed. On the table is the computer terminal and a bowl of soup next to it. Marco has swapped his armor for more casual clothing; a black long sleeve shirt and beige pants.

Ish turns to look to Marco and says "The last thing I remember was being surrounded by the Shadow Broker's soldiers". Jevings nods his head then decides to finish the memory so she can relax. "You sent out a biotic blast and then passed out. I carried you back to the ship and took off". Instead of gratitude, Ish just replies with more confusion. "You did?" she asks. Marco shrugs his shoulders and says "Well you're here, aren't you"?

The discomfort subsiding, she puts her hands on her legs and asks "How did you escape? I thought The Forum had strong defenses".

"It does" he says "But this ship has strong shields. And I was able to use the planet's disruption field to get away".

Suddenly, just as she thought the pain was dying for good, another wave of dizziness takes Ish off guard. She almost falls over to her side but Jevings catches her and sits her up right again. Ish places her hands on the bed to support her balance. Once she is back in control, Marco sits back on the chair.

"I was surprised you passed out" he says "I thought the Asari had the best biotic stamina in the galaxy".

"We do" Ish replies "So long as we start learning it at an early age".

"You didn't"?

She shakes her head and says "No. I only started to learn it twenty years ago, when I turned two hundred". Marco was surprised and curious and his facial expressions didn't hide it. He had never heard of an Asari who waited so long to learn how to use her natural abilities. "Why so long?" he asks.

"Because I was a stubborn, foolish child" Ish says as if scalding herself "I wanted to prove to my mother and everyone else that Asari don't need to rely on their biotics to be successful".

Marco's voice is humble. He talks to Ish with understanding. "But things didn't turn out how you planned" he says. But, his attempts at psychiatry just offend Ish who then transfers the scolding to him. "I don't regret becoming a merc" she snaps "It's good money". Then her anger disappears just as quickly as it came. "But living without biotics was hard. And when Braiala was born, I promised to not let her face the same hardship. As soon as she was of age, I sent her away to school and promised her I would learn biotics too".

Marco can see the guilt in her eyes. He knows that she blames herself for her daughter's kidnapping and enslavement. "What happened to your daughter wasn't your fault".

Ish doesn't respond for several seconds. She looks away and then looks back and says "That song you were humming; It is a lullaby from Thessia".

"That's right".

"How do you know it?" she asks.

Marco takes a deep breath and leans into his chair as he prepares to access his memory. "My mother was Human" he begins "But my father's wife was Asari. It was like I had two mothers and both loved me very much. Her name was Iyosi. She would take care of me whenever my mother was away and sang that lullaby everyday to put me to sleep".

Ish nods her head. "I did the same for Braiala". With her balance fully restored and dizziness gone, she rests her hands back on her legs. "Are your mother and Iyosi still alive"?

Jevings shakes his head, no.

"Did they die at the same time as your father"?

He nods for a second and, in the heaviest hearted voice, answers "Yeah".

"I see".

Then Marco stands up and claps his hands once as if the sound will remove the morbid moment they just shared. "I will be in the cockpit decoding the information Gretell gave us. Once that's done, we can work out a plan to get the Shadow Broker's data disk. It shouldn't take me long but you still need to get your strength back. So let's have a meeting in the cafeteria in one hour".

"Sounds good" Ish replies.

"Perfect". Marco grabs the bowl of soup. "This is for you" he says "It will help get you back on your feet". Ish grabs the bowl but doesn't say anything. Jevings makes his disappointment heard with a grunt. "You don't say 'Thank you' much, do you"?

The Asari merc eats a spoonful of the soup before asking "Can I ask you something"?

"Of course" Marco answers.

"Why are you doing this? The soup, the kindness. Why are you being nice to me? You have no reason to be. Hell, back in that hanger bay, the soldiers were down and I was unconscious. Why didn't you just leave me there and fly away on your own? You would have been free".

Jevings was glad she asked. It showed that she does acknowledge the things he has done even though she won't show gratitude for them. "If I had left you there, the Shadow Broker's men would not have been as kind as I have. You would have been tortured for everything you know about our mission and then killed".

Ish looks down at her soup to contemplate what he just told her. But then Marco reaches down and, with two of his fingers, places them under her chin and tilts her head up so they can make eye contact. Marco wanted to show her how serious he was. "I know we're just two mercs on a mission" he says "But I don't want to see any harm come to you".

Marco waits a second but nothing. He lets go of her chin and says "One hour. Don't be late". Then he turns around and walks toward the exit.

The door opens. Marco's left foot is at the threshold when he hears "Marco, wait".

He halts and turns back. Ish is now standing up beside her bed. The bowl of soup is on the table once again. Her face is nothing but serious. "If this was another time" she says "Or if we weren't in this business" she pauses for a second before saying "I might have been appreciative of everything you have done for me. But I can't offer you my gratitude. We need to focus on the mission. Getting that data disk is the only thing that matters".

Marco nods his head to acknowledge her honesty but then says "I know why I'm on this mission. You don't have to remind me". And with those words, he walks away letting the doors close behind him and leaving Ish alone in her room.

Nearly forty five minutes later Ish walks out of her guest quarters and walks down the corridor. Boredom overtook her and she couldn't wait another fifteen minutes. When she gets to the cafeteria doors she walks in and instantly notices the furniture has been rearranged. Marco has moved one of the tables to the center of the room and put the chairs in the back. On the table is a holographic projector and three small data pads. The projector is emitting an image of a planet. While the image is fairly detailed, the device can only display the color blue in its projections. Marco is full of energy. He paces back and forth on one side of the table while reading the information on the data pad he is holding. He looks up at Ish when she enters.

"Ish, I'm glad you're here" he says "I was just about to call you".

The Asari woman walks up to the opposite side of the table Jevings is standing next to. "It sounds urgent".

"It is" he confirms "The autopilot is already taking us to the mass relay. I was going through the decoded data. Time is against us but, if we get there in time, we will have a huge advantage".

"So, where are we going" Ish asks. Jevings points to the holographic planet before replying "Helyme. That's where Drim's personal office is. Knowing Drim, he always keeps his important belongings close to him. The Broker's data disk is there. I'll bet my ship on it".

Ish looks at the hologram and says "I heard about Helyme. There was once a large civilization there". Jevings nods his head. "You're right. But that was a long time ago. The planet is nothing but canyons and ruined cities now".

"Sounds like the perfect place for a criminal to hide in".

"My thoughts exactly" he says "Not only that, look where it's located".

After Marco presses a few commands on the projector the image of the planet gets smaller to simulate the magnification expanding. Another star system enters the image field. One planet in the new system flashes. Ish instantly recognizes it.

"That's Illium" she says.

"Correct. Helyme is in the Zelene System which is very close to the system Illium and its mass relay is in".

Their thoughts synchronized, Ish completes Marco's sentence. "There are billions of people on Illuim. Tourists, innocent people, poor people and the desperate. All of them are easy targets for slavers. And, with the mass relay right there, he has access to trade with the entire galaxy. Or escape if anything went wrong. Drim isn't stupid. I'll give him that".

Marco found the remark a little out of order. "Maybe, but he isn't smart either" he says in order to slap down her small sense of admiration. "Look at this".

He then puts the data pad he was holding into an input port of the holo-projector. The blue image changes again. This time it shows the Helyme planet and the Illium mass relay with a line which connects the two together.

"This is the flight plan for Drim's slave ship" he says "He's going to make another slave run soon. It says here that its next target is a Salarian colony on the far side of the Attican Traverse. The colony is rather large so he is going to be taking more men to handle them. That means his base on Helyme will be operating on a skeleton crew while Drim is gone".

Marco can see Ish putting the pieces together. Her arms are folded across her chest and she repeatedly taps her right index finger on her left elbow. "We're getting a little good luck on our side for a change". She hears Jevings chuckle before she continues. "So when does his ship depart?" she asks.

"That's the tricky part" he replies "The information Gretell gave us said Drim's ship is scheduled to depart from Helyme sometime during the planet's next night hours. But it doesn't give us an exact time".

"Well then we can't take any chances" Ish emphasizes "We have to be at Helyme by nightfall. We'll just wait for the ship to leave to make our move. At least we could use the cover of darkness to sneak into the base". She then turns her head to face Marco. "When is the planet's next sunset"?

"In four hours" Marco answers.

"Will we get there in time"?

"Just barely" he says "I can land the ship in one of the canyons and we could hike to the base from there. But, if Drim's ship departs as we are descending-" Ish interrupts "Their sensors will detect us and we'll lose any chance of getting the data disk".

"Exactly. But we don't have a choice. Landing at sunset is our best option. Let's just hope Drim is a procrastinator".

This time, Ish chuckles. "So, assuming we land without being detected, how do we get in"?

Instead of answering verbally, Marco inputs more commands into the projector and the image changes once more. Now, two buildings are shown. Both buildings are four stories tall and there is a sky bridge on the top floor that connects the two buildings together. Behind the two structures is a wide landing pad.

"This is Drim's base" he says "It looks like he renovated a couple of the ruined buildings. The building on the left is the slaver barracks and living quarters. The building on the right is where they process the new slaves and keep them in their cells until they are ready to be shipped. The information we have says the skeleton crew is light but, again, it doesn't give us an exact number. A light skeleton crew could still kick our asses".

Ish steps closer to the projector, scanning every inch of the holographic buildings with her eyes. "We'll have to play this smart" she begins "It's safe to assume the majority of their crew will be in the barracks building. That's where they eat and live. And, since it will be night time, some of them will be sleeping".

"It says here that Drim's office is on the top floor of the barracks building" Marco adds "I have a plan". He points his finger at the slaves' tower and guides it along the hologram as he lays out his plan. "There will be few guards here. We could sneak into the slave tower, make our way to the top floor and cross the sky bridge to get to the barracks and into Drim's office".

"I was thinking the same thing" Ish confirms "That data pad has schematics of the place, right"?

After replying "Yes" Marco inputs another command. The hologram of the buildings do not disappear. Instead, corridors and rooms are added. All of the angles of the schematic are ninety degrees. "This part is easy" Marco says "All of the hallways are perpendicular to each other. We can't get lost in there".

Ish drops her arms to her sides and says "Then we have our plan of attack". Marco nods his head in agreement.

Then, suddenly, he lets out a hum as an idea forms in his head.

"What about the slaves themselves?" he asks himself aloud "If we free them, they could give the guards something else to think about". Ish points to a room of the building. "The holding cell control room is in the second floor of the slave tower. But I don't recommend letting them out too soon. We don't want the guards to know something is wrong until it's too late".

"You're right" Marco says "Once we get the data disk, we'll take the sky bridge back to the slave tower and, on our way down, we'll stop by the control room and free the slaves so they could distract the guards while we make our escape".

"Let's just hope the slaves aren't too weak to fight back".

Jevings then grabs one of the data pads off of the table. "Here" he says as he gives the pad to Ish "This is the slave manifest. Check to see if there are any Turians or Salarians. Anyone who isn't afraid to fight back. I'll go over the building schematics some more".

Ish stands still as she studies her pad while Marco paces back and forth looking at his. The room is quiet for several minutes. It is Marco who breaks the silence when he says "It looks like there's good news and bad news". Ish looks away from her pad up at Marco. "The bad news is the doors are very thick. I don't think you could use your biotics to force any of them open". Ish makes her disappointment audible with a soft but firm grunt. "The good news is their security locks haven't been upgraded to protect them from omnigel. We shouldn't have too much trouble opening doors".

Another moment passes by. But this time it is Ish who interrupts the silence. "There's no one here worth a damn. Some farmers, some miners, mostly women. There are a few Turian and Salarian males but not enough to be a match for the Batarian guards".

"Never underestimate the power the desire for freedom can give someone" Marco says "Those female farmers would kill like soldiers to escape bondage".

Ish doesn't say a word. She looks back at her pad and reads more of the slave profiles. "Hello" she says with excitement. When Marco asks "What is it?" she holds the pad over so the screen is facing him. "They have a Krogan".

Marco looks at the screen and sees the profile of a Krogan male. The face is full of battle scars and wounds and the eyes are full of anger. The still image magnifies the emotion and never lets it die. "Nice" Jevings says, with the same excitement "We'll free him first". Ish smiles for a second and then goes back to reading the data pad.

Jevings stares intently at the holographic schematic of the barracks building. His eyes scan every nook and cranny of every floor. "The Shadow Broker's data disk has to be in Drim's personal office. No other room has any real significance. It must be in a safe or in his private terminal or in a secret compart-".

"GODDESS"!

The level of urgency in that one single word was so clear.

Marco quickly took his attention off of the hologram and looks at Ish. Her eyes are wide open and fixated at the screen of her data pad. Marco can tell her jaw is dropped open even though she is covering it with her hand.

"What is it?" he asks. But she does not respond. She stands there frozen like a statue and ignoring everything else. For that moment, that data pad is all she cares about.

Jevings had to take a step closer to her and repeat himself in a much more firm, concerning voice. "Ish, what is it"?

Her eyes still wide open, they slowly move to make eye contact. At the same speed, she turns the pad once again so Marco can see the screen.

"It's her".

When Jevings looks at the screen his eyes widen also. The profile picture of a young Asari child with pinkish skin is displayed. And, above the picture, reads "Braiala" in large texts.

"My God" Marco says.

He reaches to touch the pad but Ish pulls it back as if she was hording pure gold. She looks at the picture again. Now her eyes get much more narrow but it is not from sorrow. "I finally found you" she whispers to herself. Marco looks closely at her eyes and, at first, he thought she was going to cry. But, that thought was crushed when she snaps her head to look back at him. When her eyes meet his, they aren't filled with sorrow. They are filled him determination. She looks at Jevings with the same cold stare only she can give and, as if she was a general commanding troops, says "Get this ship to Helyme right now".


	8. Chapter 8

The flight to the Zelene System was quiet. For the past three hours, only the sounds of beeps from computer terminals filled the Arrowhead's cockpit. Marco, now wearing his dark blue armor again with his assault rifle folded and strapped on his back, sat in the pilot's seat. Occasionally, he would turn to the seat behind his right shoulder to where Ish was sitting and try to start up small talk. But his attempts met with failure. The Asari mother was too focused on her daughter to talk about life on Omega or funny mercenary stories. She just sits there in a state of comatose.

Suddenly, the pilot's navigation terminal beeps urgently. The sound snaps Ish out of her stasis. Her eyes are the first to move, followed by her head. She looks out of the front window and sees a planet with a greenish and beige color mixed in the atmosphere.

Marco ends the silence with the obvious. "We're approaching Helyme".

Ish gets up from her chair and stands behind the pilot's seat. She places both of her hands on the top of the chair and says "If the slave compound has an orbital scanner they are going to detect us pretty fast".

"I doubt we have to worry about that" Marco reassures her "A ship in orbit can scan that type of equipment just as easily as it can scan ships in orbit. If the purpose of this place is to hide, then an orbital scanner would be useless to them".

"How are you going to enter the atmosphere?" she asks.

With all his attention on operating the navigation system, Jevings says "The slave compound is located at the edge of a ruined city. There is a wide canyon about two kilometers from there. I'll bring the ship in at a steep angle. That way, if anyone does see the ship with their own eyes, it'll just look like something burning up in the atmosphere".

A small bit of concern grows on Ish's face. "To give that illusion, the ship will have to be diving at a fast speed".

"A really fast speed" Marco repeats "And I'll have to engage the reverse thrusters at the last possible second".

"Have you ever done this before?" she asks. Jevings doesn't answer. Not with words or body language. Having a strong feeling of what that means, Ish goes back to her seat and holds the edges of her terminal as tightly as she can.

The size of the planet has now completely filled up the window view.

"Here we go".

The Arrowhead penetrates Helyme's at breakneck speeds. When the ship dives through the upper atmosphere, fire begins to encompass its front tip. Smoke comes out of the fire and, soon there is enough of it to shroud most of the ship. The angle of the Arrowhead's descent is almost a straight line.

The cockpit, along with the rest of the ship, violently rumbles. The computers and bulkheads buckle. Warning lights flash throughout the cockpit. Alarms scream, begging for the pilot to change the situation. Ish still has her hands clamped to the station. Her body may be shaking but her determination is unbreakable. She doesn't care if the entire ship flies apart, she is going to make it to that compound. She glances over to Jevings who, surprisingly, looks just as calm and determined as she is.

Then she looks out of the front window. The thickness of the smoke has completely covered it but, every split second, the fire cloud breaks up long enough for her to see the ruined city and its surrounding canyons on the planet's surface. The city gets closer and closer as the split seconds go by.

"Brace yourself!" Marco shouts trying to be louder than the sound of the ship buckling. He looks at his console, his fingers trying to stay on top of the interface.

"NOW"!

Marco punches the interface with the bottom of his fist and both he and Ish jerk forward. The strain on their arms puts their muscles to work as the Arrowhead's reverse thrusters quickly slow down the ship. Ish grinds her teeth as she forces her hands to glue to her terminal. After a few seconds, the strain begins to fade away. Outside of the window, the smoke is gone and now the Arrowhead is flying only several dozen meters over the planet's surface.

The cockpit is starting to calm down. The alarms are silent, the warning lights have gone to sleep and everything has stopped shaking.

"Are you okay?" Marco asks as he faces Ish. When she answers "Yes" he looks back out of the window. "There's the canyon. I'm taking her in".

When the Arrowhead reaches the canyon, it hovers over it until the ship's three landing struts are fully extended. Then it slowly lowers itself down and out of sight. The canyon is wide enough to give the ship more than enough space to maneuver. After the ship lands, it lets out a diminishing hum as all of its systems power down.

Marco and Ish get off of their chairs. Although Jevings already has his assault rifle on his back he reaches over a compartment on his left and pulls out a pistol. The handle of the pistol is red while the barrel is black. On the barrel is a single pink colored stripe. After he checks to see if it is loaded, Marco puts it on his side holster. "Let's go" he says.

The ramp of the Arrowhead lowers. Ish jumps off of it before it touches the ground. Marco isn't so hasty but he understands why she is. Once they are clear of the ship, his omni-tool activates and the ramp closes again. He then looks at the front tip of the ship. It is completely covered in scorch marks. "Damn" he curses "I'm going to have to repaint the whole thing".

"Hurry up, Marco" Ish orders. She has already started to walk and is many meters away from the ship. "There's no time to waste".

Jevings runs in order to catch up to her. When he does, he isn't surprised she is speed walking. "After two kilometers we should approach a hilltop which overlooks the compound. That's a good spot to stake out the place".

She doesn't answer. She only walks.

As they walk, Marco looks up at the sky and sees half of it is filled with a fading light and the other half is filled with a growing darkness. The sun is setting.

Night time was not completely dark on Helyme. Its very tiny moon was able to illuminate the canyon's rocky walls well enough for Ish and Marco to walk without tripping over rocks. The sky was full of stars. The air had become very cold and was starting to affect Marco. His muscles began to shake and his teeth chatter. Normally he would pass the time by trying to make conversation with Ish. Marco hated long quiet periods of time. His childhood was full of them and they were associated with bad memories. Memories of confined living spaces, metal bars and monsters.

But Jevings was forced to wade through the inaudible torment. Ish had become as cold as the night air after she saw her daughter's picture on the slave manifest. Marco had to work extra hard if he wanted to talk through his jaw constantly trembling. It wasn't a good idea to talk anyway. They had to be stealthy until they reached the slave compound. They couldn't discount the possibility of a Batarian slaver patrolling the canyon and hearing them.

So they just kept walking. Aside from their footsteps on the rocky surface, the planet was completely silent. There were no animals scurrying about or howling at the moon. There were no insects buzzing or chirping. There were no sounds of people and their technology. All indigenous life on Helyme had been wiped out thousands of years ago by some force that was never explained by Citadel scientists. All that remained were ancient ruined cities.

Thanks to Ish's pace, they reached the cliffside overlooking the slave compound in just over an hour. The cliffside was taller than many of the buildings in the ruined city. It provided a perfect spot to look down on the compound which is located at the very edge of the city. The top of the cliff is full of big boulders which provided Ish and Marco with even better cover.

But they still didn't take any chances. They crawled while on the cliff top. If they were standing, their silhouettes might betray them. When they crawled to the edge of the cliff, they look down at the compound together. The structure was just as the holographic projections had shown. Two four story buildings with a sky bridge on the top floor that connects them. The buildings were in near mint conditions compared the other buildings of the crumbled city. The barracks building on the left has many windows but only a handful of them are illuminated by a light source inside. Even fewer windows are lit for the slave building.

On the ground level between the buildings is a landing pad. A long rectangular shaped ship rests on it. Its hull is brown and its design makes it look like a barge or cargo ship. There are several smaller shuttle type crafts on the landing pad as well.

"Good" Marco whispers to Ish as he looks at the long brown ship "That's Drim's ship. They haven't left yet".

"They better hurry up" Ish says.

Then they crawl backwards until they get behind the large boulders. They sit up but sit several feet away from each other. Marco puts his knees close to his chest and wraps his arms around his legs. His armor was designed to protect him from thermal rounds, not extreme cold. Ish doesn't seem bothered by the temperature. She sits there as casually as she sat on her chair on the Arrowhead. Marco can't believe she is acting like if she was in room temperature, especially with her dark purple skin tight outfit.

"How the hell are you not cold?" he says, his teeth chattering as he says it. Ish sits with her eyes closed and her legs crossed as if she was meditating. "You think this is cold? Try spending a winter on the northern most continent on Thessia".

Jevings tries to chuckle but his breathing has become too erratic to let him. The muscles in his body constantly shake as it tries to maintain his body temperature. In an attempt to keep his mind off of the cold, Marco talks to Ish about anything that comes to mind. "You should have brought a kinetic barrier unit to shield you in case we get in a fire fight".

"I have my biotics" Ish replies "Asari can use their abilities to create a field around their bodies that acts very much like a kinetic barrier. You didn't know that"? Marco nods his head, both to confirm what she said and to keep the muscles in his neck moving. "I did" he says "But you told me your biotic stamina isn't as high as normal Asari. If the bullets start flying-"his stutters interrupt him "keep your head down".

Ish opens her eyes and looks to Marco. He is frantically rubbing his hands on his legs. The fog of his breathe is as thick as a plume of smoke. "You're freezing".

Marco tries to give a sarcastic laugh but only spit comes out. He stammers his words when he says "Now you notice?" he takes in a deep breath "That ship better leave soon or I'm going to freeze to death out here".

Realizing that he wasn't joking, and seeing his eyes clenched shut, Ish gets up and crouch walks to Marco. "Move up a little" she demands "Let me get between you and the rock".

Jevings does what she says but very slowly. Ish had to push him to help him get to the proper position. When there is enough space, the Asari woman sits between Marco and the boulder. As her back rests on the rock, she grabs Marco by the shoulders and pulls him to her. Her legs press on his. She grabs his arms with hers and wraps them around his chest. Then she pulls him so close he can feel his back pressing on her chest, even through the armor. The amount of physical contact feels is incredibly intimate and makes Marco very uncomfortable. He tries to free himself from her hold but she just tightens it. "What are you doing?" he asks.

"Just shut up and stay quiet" she says.

Suddenly, her entire body glows. The hue is not bright so she isn't worried of others seeing it. Then a violet colored mist comes out of her skin and her clothing. The mist is warm and relaxing. It isn't long before Marco's muscles begin to relax as his body temperature stabilizes. His teeth stop chattering. Ish then begins to caress Marco's arms with her hands. She rubs his elbows, then his biceps and moves onto his forearms. Her warm mist wraps around Jevings' armor and seeps its way underneath it to get to his skin. For Marco, it feels like the mist is giving his body a massage. With his breathing back in his control, he takes a long deep breathe and can smell a heightened version of Ish's femininely soft body odor. She moves her hands up his arms again and back down. This time she grabs his hands and rubs their palms together.

"Is that better"?

Marco lets out a hum of satisfaction before saying "Much better. I don't even feel cold anymore". He inhales one more time to enjoy the warm smell. "Not that I don't appreciate it but why are you doing this"?

Ish talks as softly and as warmly as the mist her body is emitting. "You could have left me on The Forum but you didn't. You saved my life. Now I'm saving yours by making sure you don't freeze to death".

"I see".

Then Ish raises her hand and firmly sticks out her index finger in front o Marco's face. "But don't you dare think for a second that this is some kind of sexual advancement" she says "I'm just keeping you warm, got that"?

"No problem" Marco answers.

"Good".

With everything understood, Ish places her hands on his arms again and a silent moment passes. "Ish" Marco says.

"What is it"?

"Thank you".

At first, Ish didn't know how to respond to that. A normal person would just say "you're welcome" but, ever since her daughter was stolen from her, she never felt the need to show appreciation for anything in her life. Even now, her instincts are telling her not to be so kind. "If you really want to thank me, you will help me free my daughter" she says. Jevings nods his head and says "That's fair".

Another minute passes and, after sitting in the same spot and wearing the armor for a while, Marco's muscles begin to cramp up. He moves his waist around to get more comfortable but a bulky metal object strapped to his hip gets in the way. He reaches down and pulls out his pistol holster with the gun still in it. He pulls out the pistol and holds it in front of him. Marco rotates the gun slowly so he can properly appreciate every inch of the weapon.

Ish stares at the pistol as well as notices the single pink strip on the barrel. "Don't take this the wrong way" she says "But that gun is too feminine for a man like you to be holding. I would think a pistol like the Carnifax would be more your style".

Marco laughs as he exhales. "This pistol saved my life many times" he says "I wouldn't trade this for anything in the galaxy".

"So, let me see if I got this straight" Ish says in a more casual tone "You and a beautiful Asari woman are alone in your ship and you don't flirt with her once. The same woman has her arms and legs around your body and you get uncomfortable. All of your contacts we have met on this mission have been males. And you carry a gun with a pink stripe on it".

"Your point?" Marco says, sounding a little less casual.

"I don't mean to offend" Ish says "I'm just saying that I would have never guessed".

Realizing that Ish didn't mean any harm he replies in a softer voice. "We never truly know anything about people until we get to really know them".

"Too true" Ish responds "So your son; was he adopted"?

Marco lowers his head and says "Please, Ish, I rather not talk about it".

With her hands, Ish brings Jevings' head to rest on her left shoulder. "I understand. For a long time, I was the same way about Braiala".

Marco and Ish look up at the dark skies and stars. Their bodies and minds connected to each other like they never would have expected when they first saw each other in Omega's interrogation room.

"In a way, I envy you" Marco says as he looks at the stars "You are getting a chance to save your child. To bring her back from the depths and into your arms again. I would have killed to have the same chance for my boy".

Ish doesn't respond with words. Instead, she holds Marco closer to her chest.

"Ish"?

"What is it, Marco"?

Jevings almost didn't want to ask but he had to know the answer. "You know if I don't bring that data disk back to Aria, she'll have me killed". Then he stays quiet for a few seconds as he finds the right way to ask her "If you had to choose between saving Braiala or getting the Shadow Broker's disk back, which would you choose"?

Ish stops rubbing Marco's arms. "You know, I asked myself that question too. My first responsibility is to my child. As a parent, you should understand that. But you have been good to me. And good people have been rare in my life. And it's not like Aria will be pleased with me if I come back with just my daughter. She'll probably punish me by taking her away".

"I didn't stop to think what Aria might do to you if we failed" Marco says.

"What about you?" Ish asks "If you had to choose between helping me save Braiala or getting the disk back, which would you choose"?

Jevings doesn't take too long to answer. "It looks like we both need that disk. But, I promise you, we will not leave this planet until we get your daughter out of there".

Even now, Ish doesn't say "thank you". She just says "That's good to hear".

Another twenty minutes pass without any activity from the slave compound. The calmness of the night sky combined with Ish's warm mist and her embrace, which reminds him of how his mother used to hold him as a child, is making Marco too relaxed. His eyelids get heavier with each passing minute. His thoughts slip away into nothingness. At the verge of sleep, he forces himself to open his eyes only to have them close again the next minute. His fight to stay awake wages on more several more minutes until a loud sound of a ship powering up fills the canyons and the ruined city.

With a thought, Ish's mist goes away and her skin turns her normal violet color. Both she and Marco get up and crawl to the cliff ledge again. Once there, they look down to see dozens of Batarian slavers on the landing pad and standing in front of the long brown ship.

"They're getting ready to leave" Marco says.

"Finally" Ish adds.

The two of them watch as the slavers line up and enter the ship. The vessel itself is primed for takeoff. Its lights are on, Batarians can be see through the windows walking inside the ship and the engines are in the standby position. When the last slaver enters the ship the entrance ramp closes. Another minute and the ship takes off. It flies out of the city and towards the stars.

Marco and Ish stand up in synchronous and check their weapons. Jevings puts the pistol holster back on his hip and grabs his assault rifle. The weapon unfolds in his hands and he arms it. It lets out a high pitched ping letting its master know it's ready to kill. Marco turns to Ish who is holding her rifle also. "Let's get what we came here for".


	9. Chapter 9

At the edge of the ruined city, two Batarians are guarding the entrance to the slave holding cells building. The two men are on duty but are barely working. One man is standing with his firearm standing upright on the ground and leaning on his leg while the other man paces back and forth. Occasionally, the man standing still will gaze up at the stars for a few seconds at a time before looking back at the ground. The stars are bright and the compound is quiet and their duties are uneventful. It is just like any other night. Boredom was the best their night time guard shift had to offer them.

That is, until the man pacing heard the sound of a small rock hitting the side of the building.

"What was that?" he said.

The second man takes his attention off of the stars and gives it to his coworker. "What"?

"I heard something" the first man says "It sounded like it came from around the corner of the building".

"I didn't hear anything".

"That's because you were too busy daydreaming. You should be paying attention. You're on duty".

The second Batarian shrugged his shoulders before saying "You're imagining things because you're bored. I suggest you enjoy it while it lasts. When Drim comes back with all those new slaves, we're going to be busy processing them nonstop for days".

Conceding to his advice, the first Batarian stands down from his alert status and goes back to pacing back and forth. A few seconds later, the same sound is heard again. This time both men hear the sound and look in the direction it came from. The man pacing brings his gun at attention and says "Stay here. I'll check it out".

The Batarian walks cautiously toward the side of the building. His gun at the ready, he sways his head left and right trying to catch any other noises in the area. It isn't long when he gets to the corner of the building. When he turns the corner he instantly stops in his tracks as he sees Ish and Marco already aiming their guns to his head. In all of his boring night time shifts, nothing like this has ever happened before. The Batarian is paralyzed in indecision.

Marco takes a step toward him with his gun still aimed at the man's cranium. "Do anything or say anything and you die". The man quickly nods his head. "Now drop the gun". In an instant, the gun falls to the floor. Marco then grabs the man by his neck and presses him face first onto the metal side of the building. Then he puts the barrel of his gun on the man's temple.

The second Batarian is still standing at the entrance of the building. His coworker has been out of sight for nearly a minute now and his curiosity is getting the better of him. "Hey, did you see anything?" he says out loud to the first man. There is not response. "Hey" the man repeats but still no answer. Tired of waiting, he then walks to the corner. Just as he turns it, a pair of purple hands grabs him and violently pushes him to the wall. The force was so strong he drops his gun. Ish kicks it away and puts the tip of her rifle between the man's multiple pairs of eyes. In his peripheral vision, the man can see the other Batarian also on the wall being held by Marco.

Ish looks her prisoner dead in his eyes and says "Where is she"?

"Fuck you, Asari" the man says, his defiant tone is unmistakable "Kill me now cause I'm not telling you shit".

Perfect hatred best describes the look on Ish's face. Her eyes are fiery. She shows no signs of nervousness nor regret. "My pleasure".

She puts her left hand in front of the man's face and then forms it so that her thumb is touching her pointer finger and index finger. Her hand glows violet and, as she spreads the three digits apart, a small singularity sphere is created. The sphere grows slowly but doesn't get bigger than a couple of inches in diameter. Ish then shoves the singularity sphere into the Batarian's mouth and covers it with her hand.

Biotic singularities behave similar to a black hole. They pull objects closer to their center mass. The strength of their pull depends on the size of the sphere. A large sphere can pull a grown man off of his feet but a small sphere can not. However, a small sphere inside a man's jaw can pull away the flesh and muscle of the surrounding area.

In this case, the guard's teeth are forced out of his jaw and into the singularity. The tip of his tongue is pulled in but the man tries to force it out. With the sphere and the man's will pulling both ends of the tongue it splits in half. Ish continues to cover his mouth shut so he can't scream loud enough for anyone to hear. But the muffled cries still emphasis the great pain the guard is experiencing. Seconds later, the singularity starts to pull off the flesh and cartilage of the jaw. Veins, capillaries and other blood vessels are destroyed flooding the man's mouth with his blood. The screaming stops as the man is no longer capable of doing it. When the mouth is full the blood forces its way into the lungs. As they fill up, the man's body convulses and shakes in ceaseless agony.

The first Batarian watches as his coworker's eyes roll to the back of his head. Reluctantly, he looks at Ish who shows no sign of remorse. Marco also noticed her expressions and fully realizes what Ish is willing to do and how far she will go to save her daughter. Her grip on the man's mouth only gets tighter as she makes sure nothing can escape it. Seconds later, the man drops to the ground and lies motionless with the bottom half of his skull collapsed in on itself.

Ish turns to Marco still holding his hostage. Jevings points to the dead man while looking at the man. "See that?" he asks "You're next unless you answer our questions. Where is she"?

His courage long gone, the Batarian surrenders the information. "She's on the third floor. Her cell is in the northeast corner of the building".

"And what's the security code to the entrance here?" Jevings demands.

"Three seven three one".

Satisfied, Marco looses up on his grip. Then, suddenly, Ish points her gun at the man's head. He pleads and begs as he says "No, wait". The fire in her eyes only gets hotter. "I fucking hate Batarians". Then she pulls the trigger once. The thermal round goes through the man's skull and hits the wall of the building. Blood splatters as the body hits the floor dead. A few drops smear over Marco's face. He wipes it off with his hands and, showing a little irritation, says "You could have warned me, Ish. I don't want that shit in my eyes".

When he cleans the last of the blood off of his face he looks to Ish. The Asari woman returns the look as if she was about to put a singularity sphere in his mouth. "I'm warning you" she says "I'm going to kill every Batarian I see". Seeing no point in arguing or trying to talk her down, Jevings only says "Let's get inside quickly".

The two turn the corner and race to the entrance of the building. Marco punches the access code in the door's security interface. The doors open and they rush inside with their guns at the ready.

To their pleasant surprise, there were no guards in the main foyer. The room is empty, save for a few tables and computer terminals. The walls are painted with the art of a dead race. The symbol on the walls are circle meshed together to form new shapes. It isn't Marco's taste but it is still pleasing to look at. Ish never noticed the paintings on the walls. The only other door is on the opposite side of the room. Marco walks down the right side of the room while Ish walks down the left. Both of them look down their guns' sights as they scan the area for signs of ambush. When they reach the door it is locked.

"Not a problem" Marco says as he reaches into one of the pockets of his armor's utility belt and pulls out a packet of omni-gel. He opens the packet and squeezes the mercury-like gel on to the door's interface. The keypad absorbs the gel like a sponge absorbs water. The keypad screen starts to light up with random numbers and letters as the gel corrodes the wiring. Seconds later, the doors open.

"According to the building's layout, the elevator is on the far end" Jevings says as they enter the new room.

This room is different from the foyer. Where the previous room had art on the walls, this room is decorated with old, dried steins of blood and rust. Large glass chambers fill the entire floor. These chambers are meant to store and hold slaves. Half of them are empty. The other half are occupied. The Salarians, Turians, a couple of Humans and Volus, as well as Hanar and Vorcha make up the unfortunate residents of the chambers. Each chamber has a small hole cut in the glass which gives them air to breathe. Most of the slaves are sleeping on the floors of their chamber. A couple are awake. An obviously malnourished Turian leans on the glass wall of his cell.

The room, like the mood, is dimly lit and depressing. Ish and Marco walk between the chambers on their guard and trying to make their way to the elevator without making a sound. They don't want to wake up the slaves as much as they don't want to be seen by the guards. They are an x factor. A slave might call the guards on the two mercenaries. Or they might panic which will also alert the guards.

The two of them stealthily move through the room unseen. Marco can see the elevator doors in the distance. Suddenly they stop and crouch behind a chamber as they hear the voice of a Batarian nearby. Ish and Marco are motionless. The dark purple color of Ish's outfit and the dark blue color of Jevings' armor help them blend into the darkness of the large room. The room echoes with the man's voice but the two mercs are able to pinpoint his location.

He is on the left side of the room and crouched between two chambers. The Batarian's omni-tool is active. The man is talking into the orange holographic wrapped around his forearm. Next to him is a tool box. His free hand is holding a tool and he is working on the chamber door's wiring.

"This damn thing keeps malfunctioning and opening without any commands" he says to himself "Drim wanted this fixed by the time the new slaves arrived, so that's why I'm here instead of in my bed. But I'm just about finished. The problem was with the door wiring. That means I have to check the entire grid sometime soon. I'm not looking forward to that".

Ish and Marco sneak around the chambers they are hiding behind to get a good look at the Batarian technician. Marco looks upward to see a Salarian slave occupying the chamber he is leaning on. The Salarian is lying on the floor of his cell and looks down back at Jevings. He was surprised the slave was awake and the Salarian was surprised Marco wasn't a Batarian. Unsure what the slave's reaction would be, Marco puts his index finger vertically across his lips. The Salarian nods his head and lies still.

Ish gets a good look at the technician's back then looks at Marco and shows him one finger. Marco understands the gesture and nods his head to confirm and then tightens the grip of his rifle. With the same hand, Ish makes a fist. Both of them get up and speed walk to the technician with their guns drawn.

The Batarian continues to work on the wires until his peripheral vision catches a shadow. He looks over his shoulder to see Marco and Ish heading toward him.

"Who the hell"?

The two mercs fire a quick burst from their guns. Marco's shots hit the man's chest and Ish's hit the man's forehead. Ish wanted so much to go full auto on the rifle but she couldn't risk other guards hearing that kind of noise. The Batarian falls on his back. Seconds later, his omni-tool deactivates.

Before Marco could congratulate Ish on her marksmanship the elevator doors open. They once again crouch and hide behind the cover of the chambers and in the shadows as three more Batarians emerge from the lift. Each man has a pistol holstered to their waist. The guard in the front is holding an Asari woman whose hands are bound behind her back. The slave is wearing ragged clothing filled with the same dirt that covers her face. The three men walk her back to her chamber. When they get there, one of the guards activates the interface which opens the transparent door. The woman tries to break free of the guard's hold but her efforts are in vein. Frustrated, the Batarian grabs the woman's throat and squeezes it tight enough to stop her from struggling. Instead of trying to break free, the slave is now gasping for air.

"You should be thankful we are showing you this kind of hospitality" the Batarian says "If Drim didn't order Asari off limits I would have ravaged you a long time ago". With that, the guard slams the woman to the floor by her neck. Thriving in pain, the Asari slowly squirms around where she landed.

Without warning, Ish's battle cry fills the room. The Batarian's are taken completely by surprise as they see the man standing over the Asari drop to the ground with several holes in his chest. Ish walks toward the remaining to burst firing her weapon as she goes.

The two Batarians get to cover behind the holding cells, pull out their pistols and return fire. Ish's biotic shield deflects the bullets long enough for her to take cover again. Both her and the two guards quickly come out of cover, fire a few rounds and go back to the protection of the cell walls. The walls are transparent but they are very thick. The Asari slave stays on the floor and goes into the fetal position with her arms shielding her head.

The fire fight lasts another few seconds. One of the guards says to the other "Get to the elevator! Tell them we have an intruder alert"!

The other Batarian gets up and makes a dash for the elevator while the first one provides suppression fire. Ish knows if that man alerts the entire compound their mission is over. She gets out of cover and extends her arm toward the running guard. A ball of biotic energy erupts from her palm and flies to him at high speed. When the ball hits the man he is knocked off of his feet. But the force doesn't knock him forward. Instead, the man is pulled backwards for several meters and crashes to the floor. Before he can get back up, Ish capitalizes and puts several rounds in his cranium.

Doing all of that made her exposed to enemy fire and her biotic shield took several rounds. Each round deflected puts significant strain on Ish and she goes back to cover feeling a little weaker.

The last Batarian curses "Shit" when he sees his partner fall and realizes he is the last man left. He stops firing, grabs the Asari slave and pulls her on her feet to use her as a shield. The woman lets out a scream of protest but remains helpless because of her bound hands. The guard puts the barrel of the pistol to her head and begins to order Ish. "Come out and put your gun down or she's dead"!

Ish comes out of cover and lowers her weapon. "Now what?" she says.

"Now you die".

The Batarian aims his gun to Ish's forehead. The bang of a gun is heard. But the sound came from the guard's left flank. With a bullet in his rib cage the Batarian lets go of his gun and the Asari and drops to the floor while screaming in agony. He forces himself to look up and sees Marco standing where the shot came from. Jevings pulls the trigger several more times and ends the guard's life.

Marco and Ish walk up to the Asari slave who is obviously thankful for the rescue. "Goddess, thank you so much. Both of you" she says "My family on Illium is wealthy. If you return me to them, they will pay you".

Jevings looks at Ish and says "We can't have her running around the compound just yet. She'll alert the guards".

"My thoughts exactly" Ish replies.

Then Ish grabs the woman by the arms and walks her to her holding cell. The slave's reaction quickly turns from grateful to confused. "What are you doing? No! Let me go"! The woman tries to fight back. Ish grabs her neck just like the guard before and throws her to the cell wall. Ish invades her eye contact and says "You're going to get in your cell and shut up. If you make any more noise, I'm going to kill you. Understand"?

The woman gives a whimpering "Yes" and is thrown into the cell. Marco operates the keypad and the cell door closes shut.

"Let's go" he says.

Marco and Ish turn their backs to the slave's cell and run toward the elevator. Once inside, Marco pushes the button for the third floor and speaks to Ish as the lift moves upward. "They said she was on the third floor" he says "God help them if that was a lie".

Jevings can hear Ish taking deep breathes as if she was preparing to swim under water. He looks to her and sees she is tapping her rifle with her finger tips. The tapping is frantic and has no rhythm. "Are you okay?" Marco asks. Ish takes one more deep breath before saying "Yeah. I'm just a little anxious, that's all".

The elevator slows down and, a second later, comes to a full stop. When the doors open, Marco and Ish get out with their weapons at the ready. Marco checks left and Ish checks right. There is no one in sight but the corridors are all right angle turns.

This floor is much cleaner and better maintained than the ground level they came from. There are no blood steins or rust on the grey walls. All of the corridors are long and well lit by bright lights on the ceiling. Like an apartment complex, there are doors throughout both sides of each corridor. Each room is a slave holding cell but, unlike the exposed cells on the ground level, these offer much more privacy. There are no transparent walls or doors on this level. The floor is designed to hold VIP slaves.

Marco and Ish walk down the hallways being very careful not to make any sounds. Marco takes point and Ish walks behind him as she periodically checks behind her. They stop at every intersection to check if there are any guards patrolling around the corners. The path to the northeast corner of the building was clear. However, once in that section, the sounds of men conversing with each other are heard.

The two mercenaries stop and crouch down when they get to the right angle turn. Jevings peeks his head around the corner very slowly and sees four Batarian guards standing in front of one of the slave holding cells. The guards are casually passing the night shift with conversation. Two of them are leaning on the wall and the other two stand with their arms folded.

Marco brings his head back and turns to Ish. He tells her how many guards are there by putting up four of his fingers. She nods her head to confirm and balls a glowing fist. Jevings signals her to stop and reaches into his utility belt. He pulls out one of the paralyzing grenades Archangel gave him back on Omega. Ish again nods her head to confirm and her fist stops glowing.

With a press of a button, the round grenade is activated. Marco looks around the corner, takes aim and sends the grenade flying down the corridor. It touches the ground a few meters in front of the guards but the momentum sends it rolling towards them. The conversation stops and the guards stare it.

"What the hell is that"?

Before any of his fellow guards can answer, the grenade detonates. Instead of send shrapnel or fire in every direction, a blast of electricity encompasses the area. The four guards struggle to yell in pain. When the electricity dissipates they drop to the floor like dead weight. Their bodies seize and vibrate for a few seconds before going still.

Ish and Jevings sprint down the corridor. "They're only paralyzed" Marco says "But I don't know for how long". Ish responds with a calm yet cold and absolutely heartless tone. "I'll make it permanent". When they reach the bodies, The Asari mother quickly puts a single thermal round in their heads.

Her tolerance for vengeance has no limits.

She then turns to Marco who is already in front of the holding cell door and examining the keypad interface. She notices the lock is much more sophisticated than any other they have seen in the building. "She must be in here" she says "That lock is too advanced. I don't think omni-gel is going to work on that".

"I have something better than omni-gel". Jevings then takes out Archangel's hacking device and connects it to the door interface. As he works on it, Ish stands on guard, aiming her gun down the hallways. "How long will it take?" she asks.

Marco lets the device answer for him. After it beeps several times, the doors open.

Both of them simultaneously enter the door with hope in their eyes. The cell is large. It is a perfect ten meter square. It is virtually empty. Ish looks around to find her daughter but she is not there. There is only a Human woman resting on a cot.

The woman is light skinned and has red hair that goes down to her shoulders. She is not bound to the metal cot nor does she have bindings of any kind. Startled that two strangers holding weapons suddenly entered her cell, the woman quickly gets up. To her, the Asari is a complete stranger. She never saw her before in her life. But, the Human man, she does know. Her face lights up with a smile when she sees Marco Jevings.

"Marco" she says in a soft passionate voice. Excited to see the red headed woman again, Jevings puts his rifle on the floor and speed walks to her. When he gets to her he throws his arms around the woman with a loving embrace and kisses her. She holds him even tighter and kisses him even more passionately.

Ish is left standing at the doorway still looking around the room. A different feeling sweeps her body. Like the holding cell itself, it is virtually empty.

Marco lets go of the woman and holds her hands. "What did they do to you"?

"Nothing I couldn't handle" she replies.

"And did they get it"?

The woman shakes her head. "No. The disk is in Drim's office. He still doesn't know".

"Good" Marco says. Then he takes the pistol with the pink stripe out of his side holster and gives it to the woman. "You dropped this". She takes the gun and says "Thanks. And I'm sorry. All of this is my fault".

Marco holds her hands and hovers them between the two. "Don't worry about that" he says "I found you and you're not hurt. That's the only thing that matters. Let's get out of here". Marco walks back toward the entrance. The woman is right behind him. He stops when they get to Ish who is still trying to sort out her confusion.

"Ish, this is Tanya. She's my wife".

Ish is almost disoriented as she tries to process even more confusing events. She looks at Marco and asks "Your wife"? The Asari woman looks back at her assumptions and realizes she was wrong about Marco the whole time. But she forces herself to not let the shock get in the way of the only question she cares about.

"Marco" she says in a strong voice, her senses coming back to her "Where's Braiala"?

Jevings looks her dead in the eyes and takes a very deep breathe. In the most serious tone he answers "She's not here".

There is silence. No noise was made as Ish turns all her confusion into anger and all her disappointment into hatred. With her left fist, she throws a thunderous left hook at Marco. The sound it makes when it impacts the side of Jevings' face echoes in the cell room. The force hit harder than a Krogan's best punch. It sends Marco stumbling to the wall. He falls to the ground face first. The punch disoriented him and he waves his arms around felling for a way to get back on his feet. But Ish didn't give him a chance. She quickly pounces on top of him planting her knees on top of his arms to pin him down.

A left hook strikes Marco. Then a right hook. Tanya goes to Ish and thrusts her elbow into the back of the Asari's skull. The blow made Ish drop her rifle. She stops punching and grabs her head to ease the pain. Marco used that second of weakness to free his right arm. Ish looks at Tanya and hurls a biotic ball at the Human's chest. Tanya is knocked off of her feet. Marco is helpless as he sees his wife crash to the floor. But, as Ish turns back to Marco, Tanya quickly recovers and pulls out her pistol. After another strike to the head, Marco can see his wife aiming her gun at Ish.

Instead of protecting his face, Jevings extends his right arm toward Tanya with an open palm. "No don't shoot!" he yells "Tanya, don't"!

His wife reluctantly takes her finger off of the trigger. Ish stops punching but stays on top of Marco when she realizes there is a gun pointed at her. She turns to Tanya who is showing no signs of anxiety. The woman holds the gun like a professional.

"Get off of him" she demands.

Ish isn't ready to die yet. Her life's purpose has still not been fulfilled. She yells out in frustration, gets off of Marco and stands several feet away from him. Tanya and Ish do not take their eyes off of each other. Tanya knows Ish can use her biotic abilities with little to no warning. And Ish knows Tanya is more than willing to pull the trigger. She will do anything to protect the one she loves. Ish completely understands the kind of power that can give someone.

"Marco, get up" Tanya orders.

His first attempt was an utter failure but he spits out some blood and musters his energy for the second attempt. He plants his first foot on the ground, followed by his other foot and slowly stands up while using the wall as a crutch. Tanya doesn't take her eyes off of Ish. "Are you okay?" she asks her husband.

"I'll be fine" he answers after spitting another spot of blood.

Ish points her finger at Jevings and says "You lied to me, you son of a bitch".

"Yes I did" he replies without regret.

"And that story about your son; that was a lie too? Some shit you made up so I can sympathize and open up to you"?

"That's right" he answers, again with no regret.

Furious, Ish starts to walk toward Marco to attack again but she only gets one step before Tanya barks "Hey!" to remind the Asari of who has the gun. Ish stands still again. "Fuck you, Marco" she says "You dragged me here just to save your bitch. You had no intention of getting back the Shadow Broker's disk".

Jevings let the insult to his wife slide. He had more important things to talk about. "I didn't lie about everything. The data disk is here".

"It's true" Tanya adds "Drim stole the disk from us and held me hostage as leverage against Marco".

Ish keeps her cold gaze on Marco. "What about Braiala"?

Tanya asks "Who is Braiala"?

Having learned her lesson of giving personal information away, Ish stays quiet. It is Marco who answers "Braiala is her daughter. She was kidnapped by Batarian slavers and Ish has been looking for her ever since".

"There are two Asari slaves in this base" Tanya says "One is an adult. I think she comes from a wealthy family. The other is a child".

Jevings looks at Ish just in time to see a glimmer of interest cross her mind. "What does the child look like?" she asks Tanya. The red headed woman shakes her head before saying "I don't know. I never saw her. I just heard the Batarians talking about her. She's being held in the other building".

Ish folds her arms and says "I don't trust you".

"Then don't" Marco says. He walks closer to Ish and stops just in front of her. "Even if it isn't true, that doesn't change the mission. If the data disk is in Drim's office in the barracks, then that's where we need to go". Marco walks up to his rifle and picks it up. Then he walks up to Ish's and picks that up as well. He presses a button on the gun and it folds in on itself. Then he straps her rifle on his back and his in his hands.

"Stick to the plan" he says "The sky bridge is on the floor above us. We'll get into the barracks from there". He walks up to the cell room's entrance and points his gun at Ish. "Lead the way" he tells her.

"Me"?

"Yes" he answers "I'm not turning my back to you. That's what you should have done to me".

Ish walks toward the entrance, staring at Marco as she gets in front of him. She is the first to exit the room. Jevings and his wife follow behind her.

Just a few minutes later, the elevator doors open on the fourth floor of the slave prison building. The floor looks identical to the level they came from. Marco asks Tanya "Which way"?

"We make a left and go to the far end of the hallway. The sky bridge is at the last corridor on the right".

Jevings points his gun down the left hall, signaling Ish to move in that direction. They reach the end of the hallway without any problems. Ish peeks her head around the corner and sees two slavers guarding the entrance to the sky bridge. The guards are taking their duties seriously. They stand at attention, they are not engaging in idle conversation and their guns are in the ready position.

"Two guards" Ish tells Marco.

"Take care of them" he replies.

"By myself with no gun"?

"Use your biotics. We'll cover you from here".

Ish turns away from him and looks around the corner again. She mumbles "Bastard" to herself as she realizes Marco wants her to use her abilities so she can get exhausted and become less of a threat to him. Then, in her mind, she curses herself for trusting him with that information. "Never again" she promises. Then she sprints down the corridor like a bat out of hell.

By the time the guards see her charging towards them, it is too late. Before he can raise his weapon, the guard closest to her is hit with a biotic shot. He stumbles to regain his balance but it proves futile. The second guard raises his weapon but Ish moves in too close to use it. In an impressive display of hand to hand combat, she grabs the gunman's arm and twists it so he drops the weapon. After a sharp cry of pain, the man swings his other arm at the Asari. Ish ducks the blow and sends her knee through the man's genitals. The guard's scream is cut short as his wind gets knocked out of him when Ish punches him straight in the gut. She finishes the man off with a quick uppercut to the jaw.

With both Batarians on the floor, Tanya and Marco move in and finish them off with a few well placed shots. "Good work" Marco tells Ish. She stays quiet. At first, Marco thought it was because she was still angry at him. But he soon realized that she was quiet because she was staring at one of the guard's guns on the floor.

"Don't even think about it" he says.

As Tanya keeps and eye on Ish, Marco walks up to the sky bridge's door controls and pulls out another packet of omni-gel.

The doors themselves are made up of the same thick see through material as the cells on the first floor. There is only a metal frame around the edges of the doors. Marco looks through the glass and can see that the sky bridge itself is empty.

He looks down at the control pane and lets out a quick chuckle as he realizes omni-gel would be over kill.

"What is it?" Tanya asks, curious about his laugh.

Jevings bends down and grabs one of the dead guard's arms. "This lock can only be opened when it scans Batarian fingerprints". He places the guard's palm on the scanner and the doors open. He then looks at Ish and says "You first".

The Asari woman enters the sky bridge. Tanya is about to follow when Marco grabs her arm to prevent her from walking further. Ish walks down the sky bridge not realizing that Marco and his wife are standing still, still physically in the slave building. Marco grabs Ish's rifle from his back and tosses it in the sky bridge.

The sound of the gun hitting the floor startled Ish. She jumped as she thought one of the Human's behind her pulled the trigger. She quickly turns around just in time to see the doors close with Marco and his wife on the other side. Ish runs back to the door and punches it.

"Sorry, Ish" Marco says to her, talking through the glass "But tell Aria I had no intention of finding the data disk. I only came here to rescue my wife".

Ish doesn't yell but she talks in a way that makes her hatred for Jevings frighteningly obvious. "You're going to die for betraying me, Marco. I swear it".

"It was nothing personal, Ish" Marco says "The data disk is somewhere in the barracks building. You can still retrieve it if you hurry. I'll stick to the plan and release the slaves on the way out. But you'll never see me again".

Ish heard what he said but ignores it. Instead, both of her arms glow and her palms discharges a biotic shot bigger than Marco has ever seen her throw. The shot hits the doors but just vanishes instead of exploding. That's when she remembers Marco telling her the compound's security doors has been designed to absorb biotics.

Marco looks Ish in the eyes. Her eyes are full of rage but his are much calmer and even humble.

"Good bye, Ish".

With that, Marco goes out of sight and runs down the corridor back to the elevator. Tanya was about to follow her husband when she stops herself, looks at Ish and says "I wasn't lying when I told you there was an Asari child in that building. I hope you find her". Then Tanya runs after her husband.

Ish is left standing there alone in the sky bridge. Her eyes are still narrow and she breathes through her teeth as her fists are balled up. She scans the door looking for any kind of structural weakness she can punch through to get to Marco.

Suddenly, her train of thought is interrupted when she hears the doors to the barracks side of the sky bridge open. A Batarian guard stands at the threshold and points his pistol at Ish. "Drop to the floor!" he orders. The Asari does what he says but not in the way he wanted her to. Ish dives to the floor where the rifle Marco tossed in is. As she reaches for it, the guard fires off a few shots. One of the thermal rounds bounces off of Ish's biotic shield. Before he can fire again, The Asari merc aims her rifle and pulls the trigger. The shots hit the guard in the abdomen. He screams and drops to the floor holding his stomach.

Ish started feeling light headed. She has spent a lot of her biotic stamina since she and Marco got on the planet. She was slow to get back up on her feet but she knew she couldn't take too much time. The guard was not dead and could fire his gun again. In her state, another shot could pierce her shield and her body.

She walks up to the guard as fast as her legs can take her. Ish sees the man holding his gut with both of his hands and thriving in pain. A small pool of blood drips on the floor. His pistol is on the floor next to his hand but not being held by it. Ish kicks the pistol away and stands over the guard aiming her rifle at him.

"Do you want me to kill you?" she asks.

"No" he yells through his painful moan.

"Then answer my questions. The data disk with the Shadow Broker's information; it's in Drim's office, correct"?

"Yes".

"Also, there is a slave here. An Asari child. Where is she"?

The guard rolls to his back, while still applying pressure on his wound, to make it easier for him to look up at Ish. "The child is also in Drim's office" he says.

Ish bends down and puts the gun to the man's temple. "Son of a bitch!" she yells as she imagines the worst reasons for why Drim would keep a little girl in his private room. "You're lying!" she yells.

"No! No! It's true!" screams the guard "It's not what you think! He's treating her differently than the other slaves. She's well taken care of. Drim needs her healthy".

"Why?" Ish asks.

"I don't know" the man lets out another moan "I swear".

Ish takes the gun off of the guard's head. She grabs his arms and stands him up despite his pain and discomfort. The Batarian stands hunchbacked as he tries to keep more blood from pouring out. The wound is not bleeding too much.

"Take me to Drim's office" she demand "I'll be right behind you with my rifle pointed at the back of your head. If you try anything, I will kill you. Move"!

Ish pushes the Batarian with her rifle. He leads the way as the two of them leave the sky bridge and enter the barracks building.

On the second floor of the slave building, two Batarians are in the holding cells' control room working on their assigned computer terminal. The room is round shaped with terminals installed all around the walls of the room. In the back of the room is a larger computer that controls the building's security locks, including the holding cell locks.

One of the Batarians pounds the top of his terminal in frustration.

"It must be a glitch" he says to his coworker "There's no other explanation for it".

The second Batarian gets up from his chair and goes over to the first man's desk. "There has to be a reason why the internal sensors stopped detecting Batarians in the slave building". He then works on the terminal himself and points to the screen as it displays the information. "Look, see?" he says "The sensors are still working on this floor. There must be a problem with the wiring on the other floors".

Suddenly, the doors to the control room open and one of Archangel's modified stun grenades rolls inside. It stops near the center of the room and the two Batarians look at it, mystified as to what it is. Before any of them could speak, the device detonates and, like before sends electricity in every direction. The two men are hit collapse to the floor seizing for a few seconds before going completely paralyzed.

Seconds later, Marco and Tanya enter the room. Jevings heads straight for the holding cells control terminal and works on the interface. One after the other green lights are displayed on the screen.

"That's it" Marco tells Tanya "All the slaves are free. While they keep the guards busy, we'll steal one of the shuttles on the landing pad and fly it back to the Arrowhead". Jevings takes his hands off of the computer and runs to the doors. "Come on".

As all of the cell doors in the slave building open, the prisoners walk out. At first, their new freedom is confusing to them. But, as they realize that there are no guards in sight, they take advantage of the situation and run down the corridors.

On the third floor, a massive Krogan walks out of his cell. Normally, he would be greeted by many guards, so he immediately knows something is wrong. And, whatever it is, it is to his favor. Despite the many scars on his face, a smile forms clear as day. He cracks the knuckles in his hands and begins to stalk the hallways looking for revenge.

Drim's office is designed to be a serious place of business. It is the biggest room in the entire compound and every inch of it is meant for work. From the floor to the ceiling, the room is clean. In the center of the room is Drim's desk. It is long and has many data pads stacked in a orderly fashion. His private computer rests in the exact center of the desk. His chair is made of a soft material designed to keep whoever sits on it comfortable for many hours while they work. Next to the wall not far from the desk is a cabinet locked with a keypad.

The office only seems smaller because there is a thick transparent wall dividing the room into two sections. That side of the room is covered in darkness as it is not illuminated but a small Asari child is sleeping on her soft, comfortable bed reading. Next to the bed is a computer terminal. There are other objects designed to keep Asari children entertained both mentally, and physically but they are scattered about.

The doors to the office open and Ish pushes the wounded Batarian inside. She checks every corner of the room with her rifle before stepping in and letting the doors close behind her.

As he slowly walks to Drim's desk, the Batarian guard gets the strength to point his blood soaked hand at the secured cabinet. "It's in there".

Ish walks up to the cabinet and examines it. "The walls are too thick" she says to herself "Thermal rounds will just bounce right off of them and so will my biotics". Then she looks back at the guard as he sits down on Drim's personal chair. "This is password encoded. What's the password"?

"I don't know" replies the Batarian "Ask Drim".

In frustration, she punches the cabinet and desperately starts entering words a Batarian slave trader might use for a password.

More blood creeps out of the guard's wound. Surprisingly though, he is not paying any attention to it. He takes his hands off of his abdomen and caresses the fabric of the chair. "This is a comfortable chair" he admires to himself "I don't mind dying here". He lets out a giggle to laugh at his own joke.

Ish punches in another word but the cabinet doesn't open.

"Damn it" she curses "What the hell is it"?

"Forever" says a soft, young voice coming from the far end of the large holding pen. "The password is 'Forever'. I've seen him enter it many times".

The sound of the innocent voice fills Ish's heart with a happiness she thought she had forgotten. As she turns to see where the voice came from, the other half of the office instantly lights up, illuminating the pen. The Asari child is wearing pajamas and standing next to her bed with her hands on the light switch. Ish runs across the office and stops at the transparent wall. She puts her hands on the glass and frantically looks through it.

And then her heart drops.

The child's skin is light blue. Braiala's skin is pink.

Whatever glimmer of hope Ish kept in her heart and mind was destroyed. Her hands slowly slide off of the wall. "What is your name, child"?

"Salutee" the girl answers.

"Have you seen any other Asari children here, Salutee?" she says, so beaten and demoralized.

"I'm the only one".

Ish presses her forehead on the glass wall and points her head to the floor. She closes her eyes and forces a tear to retreat back into her eyes. Then she looks back up, takes her head off of the glass and says "Let's get you out of there".

Slowly, she walks up to the cell door's control panel and releases the lock. The door opens and the little girl walks out.

"Thank you".

Ish doesn't answer. She will not show appreciation. Not even to a child. And especially not now. She just walks back to the secured cabinet and enters the password. The keypad lets out a high pitched beep and the cabinet door slides open. There are two shelves inside the cabinet. The bottom shelf is empty but the top shelf is full of syringes neatly placed next to each other. Behind the line of needles is a round disk three inches in diameter and made of a light metal.

Ish reaches in and grabs the disk. When she pulls her hand out, she looks at the disk for a few seconds and then puts it in her pocket. She lets out a sigh and whispers "Finally".

The Batarian coughs before struggling to say "It's useless to you, you know".

She turns her body to the guard, who looks weaker from his blood loss, and says "What do you mean"?

The man's head is looking at Ish but hangs to the side. He has lost control over his neck muscles. "The disk is heavily encoded" he says "We've never seen an encryption like that before. And there is only one person who can decrypt it".

Ish walks up to the desk and puts her knuckles flat on it. "Who?" she asks.

"The Human woman" he answers, blood now dripping from his mouth "We kidnapped her from Marco's ship. She's the key. But no matter what we did to her, we couldn't make her talk". The man tries to say a little more but his dying breath beats him to it.

Ish stands there only now realizing the extent of Marco's deception. With all her anger, frustration and disappointment, she throws her fist to the top of the desk and yells "Damn it"!

On the compound's landing pad, the first of several shuttles comes to life as it powers up and the engines begin to roar. Tanya Jevings sits at the terminal responsible for ship operations and Marco sits in the pilot's seat.

"The engines are fully primed" Tanya says.

A frantic Marco inputs commands into the navigational computer. "Put all the power into the engines" he yells "All this ship needs to do is get us to the Arrowhead".

With several more inputs, the small shuttle craft lifts up off of the landing pad and flies toward the canyons.

Back in Drim's office, the Asari child walks up to Ish and taps her on her right arm.

"Are you okay?" she asks.

"No" the woman says very bluntly. Then she looks down to the child as she convinces herself that she should not take her anger out on the child. "What about you?".

The child simply shrugs her shoulders and says "I'm fine".

"Were those syringes for you"?

"Yes".

"What the hell were they doing to you?" Ish asks. The child shakes her head before saying "They just kept taking my blood. I don't know what for".

Ish puts her hand on the girl's shoulder and brings her close. The child looks up at the woman and asks "Can we go now"? Ish shakes her head.

"Not yet. We have to wait".

"For what"?

Then Ish stares at the dead Batarian. "For the screaming to start".

Moments later, a battle is being waged on the first floor of the barracks building. Many of the freed slaves attacked the building seeking revenge from their former masters. On a normal day, the numbers of the guards would have put a stop to the uprising before it became a problem. But, on this night, the compound was running on a skeleton crew and they were caught by surprise.

Some of the slaves, having taken the weapons off of dead guards, are now armed and starting gun fights with the remainder of the guard's forces. Some of the Batarians are fighting back still in their sleeping attire. Most of the armed slaves are Turians and Salarians. In one particular corridor, the guards are holding down a perimeter. Both slaves and guards alike come out of the cover of the corridors' right angle turns, fire a few shots and then go back to cover.

A Turian is hit in the chest by a thermal round and falls to the floor next to a female Salarian. The Salarian picks up the fallen man's gun and fires back at the guards killing one of them. Despite the fall of their fellow Batarian, the rest of the guards fire in controlled bursts. Unlike the others, they are in control of the engagement. They are in a defensive position and the corridor acts as a bottle neck for the slaves.

Suddenly, their advantage is destroyed when the Krogan erupts from the wall behind them. The massive mountain of muscle roars a battle cry that takes the entrenched guards by surprise. With debris from the wall still falling off of his shoulders, the Krogan charges the Batarians.

Out of sheer luck, one of the guards manages to shoot the Krogan in the leg but it doesn't phase his rampage in the slightest. The Krogan grabs one Batarian and snaps his neck as easily as a giant can snap a twig. Then he throws the lifeless body at the rest of the guards. The body hits them with so much force they all fall to the floor. The Krogan capitalizes by running up to the guards and crushing their skulls with his tree trunk sized foot. The hallways echo with his laughs.

The elevator door opens on the first floor of the barracks building. Ish and Salutee are greeted with the sounds of screams, yells and gun fire. Ish steps out of the lift and, when she sees the bodies of several Batarians, she holds her gun and aims it straight down the hallway.

"Stay behind me at all times, Salutee" she says.

The little girl grabs the back of Ish's skin tight outfit ad holds on while Ish moves forward.

Screams get louder but the gunfire begins to get less frequent. Suddenly, Ish stops and tightens the grip on her gun when she hears the jolly laughs a bass heavy giant heading her way. Then, without warning two Batarians turn the corner and sprint towards Ish. She quickly notices the Batarians are unarmed and running with fear in all of their eye. The Krogan comes into view as he turns the corner and charges at the fleeing guards. The men had hoped to make it to the elevator to escape but they never predicted running into an Asari with a rifle. Ish opens fire and kills the guards. The Krogan jumps over their corpses and applauds Ish as he slows down his charge and walks to her.

"Good kill, Asari!" he says joyously "Are you slaves as well"?

Ish points her head down to Salutee who is trembling behind her at the sight of the Krogan. "She is. I'm not. I'm getting her out of here".

"Then follow me" the Krogan says "We're mopping up the last of these fucking dirt bags. I'll take you to the exit". The Krogan punches his right fist into his left palm a few times before turning around and running back the way he came. Ish tries to match his speed but is considerate of the little girl struggling to keep up.

A minute later, the Krogan leads Ish and Salutee into the main entrance of the building. They leave the building to see two Turians shooting the last of the guards. Once their bodies hit the floor all of the slaves cheer and yell in victory. The ones holding weapons raise them in the air. Some hug each other while a few stand over the fallen who they knew.

Ish does not smile or celebrate. This was not her victory. She notices a few Salarian and Turian males huddled together talking to each other. They stand like soldiers and hold their weapons like soldiers. She holds Salutee's hand and walks her to the group. When she gets to them she notices one of the Turians giving orders to the rest. The leader stops talking when he sees Ish.

"You're the one in charge?" she asks him. The Turian looks to the other men almost embarrassed to be addressed as their leader. "I guess you could say that" he answers "The name's Variff".

"Where are you going from here, Variff"?

"We are going to take that large shuttle craft and go to the Citadel. There's only two crafts on the landing pad. One is a private shuttle. It only has one seat. The other is a small cargo hauler. We should all fit inside it".

Ish looks at the landing pad and sees the two vessels that were mentioned. "It looks like it's going to be a tight fit" she says "Especially with that Krogan".

"I won't complain" says the Turian "If it wasn't for that Krogan, we all might have died here tonight. And a lot of us have been prisoners here a long time. Myself included. We're used to limited space. But now we're free". The other men nod and quietly cheer when they hear those words.

"I'll be taking the smaller craft then" Ish says, telling the man and not asking him "I have business elsewhere".

"That's fine. We were going to sabotage it anyway".

Ish nods her head then says "One last thing" she brings Salutee in front of her "Take her with you back to the Citadel. Make sure she finds her mother". Variff nods his head and says "Of course".

Ish and Salutee take a few steps away from the group. Ish bends down on one knee to get to the same eye level as the Asari child. "Stay with these men. They will get you out of here". The girl nods her head before saying "You didn't tell me your name".

Through all of her anger and hatred, the little girl managed to put a small smile on the woman's face. "My name is Ish".

Without warning, Salutee throws herself at Ish and gives her a loving hug. Ish was taken off guard and, not knowing what to do, she just hovers her hands over the girl.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Ish".

It took a few seconds but Ish returned the embrace. At first, it was casual but. When Ish closed her eyes, buried memories began to rise again. Her daughter Braiala loved when her mother hugged her. Ish's hug became tighter and more loving. Braiala's arms were skinny as well. The fleshy dreads on their heads would rub on each other the same way. Ish had to force herself off of the little girl.

"Good bye, Salutee".

Then Ish stands up and walks to the landing pad.

Once inside the cockpit of the private shuttlecraft, Ish wastes no time getting the ship ready for launch. The hum of the engines gets louder and the navigational computer in front of her light up and beep appropriately. Ish looks out of the cockpit window and sees the Krogan holding Salutee's hand and entering the cargo loader together. After one final command, Ish's vessel takes off.

The first place she goes to is the canyon where Marco landed the Arrowhead. What took an hour to traverse on foot took only seconds for the shuttle. When it arrives at the canyon, Ish looks out of the window and only sees a large empty hole in the ground.

The Arrowhead is gone.

Ish's anger swells up again as she flies the ship out of Helyme's atmosphere.

Even though there is anger on the surface, Ish feels just as empty as the space her ship is flying in. In truth, she would have endured Marco's betrayal if it meant Braiala was in Drim's office instead of Salutee. Ish didn't regret freeing the little girl. She was glad there was a mother out there that would be reunited with her daughter. It's just that she was the one who wanted to know what that felt like. All of her thoughts were on her Braiala. She still remembers the hope she felt when she first saw Marco's fake profile picture of her on the data pad. She knows now that he edited Salutee's name and information to look like Braiala's so he could use her to get to his wife. She remembers how her heart sank when she entered Tanya's cell. And how it sank again when she saw Salutee instead of her daughter. The warmth of Salutee's hug is still on her outfit and still fresh in her mind. It took her back to a time when she was peaceful. When she wasn't a mercenary. When she was a mother. In those times, her daughter's love was the only thing she needed to stay alive and happy. Alone in the ship, her memories overwhelm her. With no one around, she finally lets it out. Ish grabs her face with her hands and begins to weep. Whatever force field she used to keep her tears from falling before are gone. The tears freely run down her face as she cries for her daughter.

"Where are you?" she cries out aloud.

But there is no answer. Despite all of the hope, she was never any closer to finding her daughter than she was the day Braiala was taken. When she realizes this, she cries even harder and asks again.

"Where are you"?


	10. Chapter 10

p style="margin: 0px; font-family:  
Helvetica;"span style="font-size: 12pt;"Virtually on the border of the Attican Traverse and the Earth Alliance Systems'  
territory of the Milky Way Galaxy lies a quaint little solar system in the Kepler Verge called Newton. The system isn't anything special and is barely noticed in the eyes of the rest of the galactic community./span/p 


	11. Chapter 11

Out of the many shops in Sol's Legacy, Marco Jevings always liked to go to the one owned by a man named Jeffrey. Aside from being a reliable engineer, he was also one of the original colonists. He knew Sol's Legacy inside and out, literally, since he helped build a lot of the buildings. This colony is more of a home to him than Earth is. That is why he and Marco became friends so quickly.

Earth was Marco's home world but he never considered it home. In fact, he's only been to Earth only a handful of times. Jevings was born on a spaceship. He suckled his mother and played games with his father on one. Occasionally, they would take him to planets where they did their businesses. He's been to Thessia and Palavan. He's even been on the Citadel more than he's set foot on Earth. Then, when his parents died, Marco was stuck on a spaceship for the rest of his childhood and throughout his teenage years. He was forced to see the same walls every minute of every day. He wasn't a prisoner or a slave in the traditional sense of those words. He was something worse.

But, when he became an adult, he earned his freedom and was able to move about as he saw fit. When he first came to Sol's Legacy, the colony was just getting started. At first, Marco went there to hide from someone he had screwed out of a deal. The best thing about the colony is that the planet it was on, Ontarom, was out of the way. It was on the border of Alliance space and the Attican Traverse and far away from popular trade routes. The planet's moon was on a slowly decaying orbit so no one else saw it for any long term potential. The solar system's mass relay was only used when the colonists needed to go somewhere. Occasionally, a trader would come through but, for the most part, the rest of the galaxy paid Ontarom no mind.

It was perfect for Marco, so he volunteered to contribute to the colony's progression. He started giving them pieces of tech and other supplies. But soon, he contributed large sums of his payments as a mercenary to the colony. No one knew the kind of work he did. Everyone assumed he was a successful business man who worked in another part of the galaxy and only lived on Ontarom. Marco played the role of their assumptions.

His contributions to the colony became so great; he was awarded a thank you gift. One day, after returning from a mercenary job to hide from someone who nearly killed him, Marco walked into the center of town and was greeted by a surprise party. The colonists, only five hundred at the time, threw the party to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of Sol's Legacy. Marco Jevings was the guest of honor. In appreciation for all of his contributions, the colonists built him a beautiful villa on top of the nearby hill which overlooked the ocean to the east and the woods to the north.

It was at that party where he met a stunning red headed woman in her mid twenties. Her name was Tanya and Marco took a liking to her. She wasn't stunning because of her large breasts or wide hips. In truth, she was only average in those sectors. But, what she lacked in physical proportions she made up in personality. Tanya had a passion about her. She loved life and loved to live it but Sol's Legacy was a peaceful place and didn't offer mush in the way of excitement. She wanted to be free which was a desire Marco knew all too well. He took her with him to see other places. He took her to Omega's Afterlife and the Citadel's Prosidium. They even had a run in with a Geth patrol ship in the Terminus Systems.

One day, the same man, whom Marco was hiding from the day of he was given the villa, found him again and tried to kill him. Marco and Tanya played cat and mouse with the man's henchmen inside a cave of some distant planet for a whole day. To Marco's surprise, Tanya kept her cool and was completely in control of her emotions. She didn't cry or panic under the stress. She was calm and calculating.

And, when the henchmen finally found them, she grabbed Marco's pistol and shot two of them in the head giving them enough time to escape. As Marco flew the Arrowhead back to the colony, he told her the truth about himself. He told her all of the truth. He showed her appreciation for saving his life by giving her the pistol as a gift. Tanya showed her appreciation for his honesty by making love to him for the first time.

For some reason, walking into Jeffrey's shop for the first time since coming back from this whole ordeal with the Shadow Broker's disk brought those memories back. Maybe the recent events with Ish on Helyme had certain similarities. Or maybe seeing Jeffrey's welcoming smile reinforced the fact that Marco was in his peaceful home again. In any case, Marco steps inside to see aisles of engineering equipment throughout the shop.

The establishment is in perfect order. Each shelf is properly categorized and organized. Tools used for casual functions are in one aisle and those used for ship functions are in another. The aisles are alphabetized and the tools are arranged either in price order or size order. Jeffrey walks up to Marco and shakes his hand. On casual occasions, the two men would welcome each other with a quick hug and a pat on the back but Jeffrey knows to keep things formal in the business environment.

"I heard you had returned" says Jeffrey "Welcome back".

"Thank you".

"Did you and your wife enjoy your retreat"?

Marco had almost forgotten the lie he told everyone before he went on this whole ordeal with the Broker's data disk but he recovered without Jeffrey noticing. "Oh yes" he replies "In fact, we had a little too much fun. That's why I'm here. The front end of my ship is charred so I need something to repair it. I also need a new charge for my armor's kinetic barrier".

"God, what happened? Oh, never mind. Sorry" Jeffrey apologizes "It's none of my business". With a friendly gesture, Marco puts his hand on the shop owner's shoulder as they walk down the aisles. "It's okay" he says "We had to meet a Volus corporate owner who was so paranoid he wouldn't leave his station which was in the middle of an asteroid field. The front end of the Arrowhead got nicked by a rock. I went to try and do repairs but my armor took too much damage from the meteorites".

Jeffrey laughs and turns into the aisle labeled "Heavy Repairs".

"I know you and Tanya like to live a life of adventure but, as a friend, you shouldn't try to make those kinds of repairs out in space like that".

"You're right" Jevings says "I scared my wife with that little stunt".

"Tanya? I've never known that woman to be scared of anything". Jeffrey then reaches into the shelf and pulls out a toolbox the size of a briefcase. He hands it over to Marco and says "The equipment in there will take the char off of your hull but, if the scorching is bad enough, you're going to need a new paint job". Marco carries the case under his right arm and replies "By now, the whole ship needs a paint job".

"You keep putting it off".

"Been busy".

"Well, take it from a long time engineer, you have a pretty ship. You should make her look like one. Now, let's go see about your shield barrier". The two men walk down the aisle, make a turn and head into the aisle labeled "Armor and Accessories". All of the armor is stacked on the left side and all of the accessories are placed in size order on the right

The shelf is so organized; Marco can see the small barrier emitter before they reach it. Jeffrey already knows where it is by memory. He grabs it from the shelf and says "This should do it".

Jevings reaches into his left pocket and pulls out a handful of credits. "That should be enough". The gesture was all too familiar to Marco in the eyes of the colonists. Marco would always give more than what was owed to them. Everyone knew that about him from all of his contributions. Credits were no object to Mr. Jevings. It was a fact that was true for his real identity as well. Marco never cared about money. His success as a mercenary provided him with more than enough and, even if he didn't have credits, he knew where to get them.

"It's more than enough, Marco" Jeffrey says.

"Keep the change then. And tell your wife Tanya looks forward to seeing her again". The shop owner graciously accepts the credits and smiles as he says "Jessica would enjoy a visit. Thank you very much, Mr. Jevings. Have a nice day". Marco smiles and exits the shop with his equipment.

It didn't take long to return to his home on top of the hill. When he opens the door and enters the living room, he is greeted by a delicious smell. The aroma of pasta and cooked chicken has already filled most of the house and makes Marco's mouth water with every breath. He puts the tool box and the shield emitter on the table and walks to the kitchen.

The kitchen is big with plenty of room to move around. In the center of the room is a counter that is waist high. Marco can see the sun beginning to set through the glass wall. He looks around to see everything is normal. Cabinets rest on two of the three other walls. And, on the right, is Tanya at the cooking station which is between the sink and the food storage cabinets. When Tanya hears her husband's footsteps, she turns to him and smirks.

"You know, technically, it's your turn to cook" she says.

"I know" Marco smiles as he walks up to her and kisses her "But my cooking wouldn't smell this good". Then he goes over to the counter and leans on it with his arms folded.

"Did you get everything you were looking for?" she asks.

"Yeah".

"Good. Which reminds me; as soon as you left, Samantha and Jon called. They asked us to go over their place".

"Why"?

Tanya shrugs her shoulders and says "They miss us, I guess. I told them we will stop by after dinner". Marco lets out an unenthusiastic "Oh" and talks in a tone he knows will ruin the mood. "I kind of had other plans".

Tanya turns away from the cooking station and looks to her husband. "Like what"?

"I haven't reported to him since this mission began" Marco says "You know how he doesn't like to be kept waiting. I was thinking we head out now and get this over with".

Tanya's objections are quickly made apparent. She folds her arms as well, looks at her husband in defiance and speaks firmly. "No" she begins "Marco, no. We just got here. I'm cooking dinner. And, quite frankly, I'm tired. The last few days have been very stressful and I need to relax. And so do you." She then walks up to her husband and calms her body language as she holds his hands. "Remember he _needs_us. And we deserve a little peace before heading back".

Marco takes a deep long breath as he thinks it over "I don't know" he says "Those eyes of his still scare me, even after all these years. The way he looked at me, you could tell this mission was important to him".

"The forecast is predicting a beautiful night" Tanya pleads confident she can change her husband's mind "Our friends want to see us. Let's enjoy their company. After that, we'll come back here, enjoy each other and get a long night's sleep. We'll leave tomorrow afternoon. One day, hunny. Let's know the peace we have here for one day. Please".

Marco can feel his wife caressing his hands. He wanted to resist and put his foot down but her plans for the evening were too good to pass up. "Okay" he says "But we'll leave tomorrow morning. Not in the afternoon". Tanya wanted to complain but then decided not to and accepts the compromise. "Deal".

A small personal craft enters Helyme's atmosphere. Its hull is dark green and its engines are on the sides. The craft lands on the landing pad of the slave compound. The door opens and a Drell walks out of the craft. His scaly skin reflects the daylight as he stands next to his ship. The Drell is wearing an outfit which can best be described as a tuxedo made of black leather. The shoulders are pointed and the two tails of the outfit, hanging from the bottom part of the back, flap around in the wind. The center of his outfit is designed with a single vertical stripe colored brown.

The Drell's fish-like eyes scan the rest of the compound. He notices blood on the floor and the Batarian staff picking up dead bodies of different races, including their own. Then he sees a Batarian walking toward him.

"Thane Krios?" the guard asks. The Drell nods his head before answering "Yes. I've been summoned". Thane's voice naturally sounds rasp. Every word spoken sounds as if his vocal chord is rubbing on itself as he says them.

"This way" orders the guard. He leads Thane into the barracks building. The Drell walks down the corridors with his webbed hands folded behind his back. He notices bullet holes and more blood on the walls.

It's not long before the guard escorts Thane to Drim's office. The doors open and the guard extends his arm, welcoming him inside. When Thane enters, the guard takes a step back into the hallway to let the doors close.

Thane stands at the threshold watching Drim sitting at his desk and inject himself with one of the syringes. Drim tosses the needle to the floor and waves the Drell over. "Come. Sit down" Drim says.

Thane walks up to the other side of the desk and takes a seat. "Do you have a job for me?" he asks.

"Yes I do" Drim answers and then turns his computer screen to face Thane. The screen shows the still picture of Marco and Ish which was taken from the recording of the dead engineer's omni-tool. "The human is called Marco Jevings. I've never seen the Asari before so I don't know who she is. But I do know they are working together. The Drell folds his hands on the desk and leans forward to study the picture as he lets Drim continue. "That mess you saw outside was their doing. They stole two things from me: a data disk and a Human female with red hair. I want you to get them back for me".

Thane continues to stare at the picture, putting it to memory. For the Drell race, every memory is incredibly vivid and every detail is remembered with accurate precision. In their minds, the memory feels as if it were taking place in real life for the first time. "What are the contract parameters"?

Drim answers right away. "The Human female must be returned to me alive and unharmed. As for Marco and the Asari, I would prefer you capture them and bring them to me so I can kill them personally".

When Thane hears that, he chuckles. Drim takes notice and asks "What's so funny"? Thane leans back into his chair and puts his hands on the arm rests. "Funny that you would hire an assassin to capture people. Besides, the storage hold of my vessel has barely enough space for three people…_and_ a data disk".

"I know it's not part of your repertoire but I need the best man for the job and that's you. I'm willing to pay you extra for it".

Thane was excited to hear that but didn't show it. His professionalism and experience has taught him to always be stoic in front of the people he does business with. "How much more extra?" he asks.

"Thirty thousand more for three prisoners" Drim replies "That sounds fair".

The assassin quickly shakes his head and says "Thirty thousand _each_ for three prisoners. _That_sounds fair". Drim leans back in shock at the counter offer. His two sets of eyes widen at first but then narrow back down again. For what Marco did to him, Drim would gladly pay double that. Not just to satisfy his vengeance but because he knew once he cracked the data disk's encryption and sold the information he would have more money than he knew what to do with. Of course, he didn't tell Thane that. He pretended to think about the counter offer, as if he were actually hesitant to agree to it. Then he nodded his head and said "You have a deal, Thane".

They shook hands and Thane asks "Do you have any places where I should start looking"?

"As a matter of fact, I do".

Drim then presses on the terminal's interface. The picture of Marco and Ish is replaced by a picture of a planet. The planet is made up of large oceans and white clouds with a single moon in its orbit. "Planet Ontarom" he says "The first time Marco did a job for me, like all mercenaries, I had him followed by one of my men to see if he could be trusted. He did his job but he took a detour to this planet. My man told me there is a human colony there. He may have a home there".

"Then that's where I'll start".

Drim and Thane stand up from there chairs. "I have to tell you though" Drim adds "This information is two years old. It may be obsolete".

"It doesn't matter" Thane says "Even if he doesn't live there anymore, someone in that colony knows him. I will capture all three of them and retrieve the data disk".

Drim walks Thane to the exit. As the door opens Drim says "I knew I hired the right man for the job. And you will receive every credit promised".

"I know I will" Thane replies before walking down the hallway with his hands folded behind his back.

Ish's stolen shuttlecraft enters the asteroid rings of planet Aegis. Marco has been to The Forum many times so he made finding the facility look easy. But, since this is Ish's first time navigating through the field herself, she realizes it is not so. The ship's sensor grid is not responsive due to the heavy distortion field. But she eventually finds the Shadow Broker's facility. She slowly approaches the station hoping that Gretell had done his job and cleared her ship for landing. So far, the station's weapons had not fired on the ship. Then, at the corner of her eye, she spots a series of guiding lights leading to one of The Forum's many hanger bays. With a command to her console, the ship carefully flies to it.

After the shuttlecraft lands, and the engines power down, Ish walks out of it with her rifle folded shut and strapped to her back. She is holding a data pad which has the directions to Gretell's living quarters displayed on it.

Like the hanger bay the first time she arrived with Marco, this one was completely devoid of objects and activity. When the hanger doors open, it revealed another long empty corridor which leads to an elevator. Once inside the elevator, Ish presses the button for the main floor. The lift slowly moves giving Ish time to think. It is at this time that she realizes how much danger she is in. She thinks how the Shadow Broker could have told Gretell to lure her here just so he could have her killed. She holds her breath expecting the lift to stop and the neural toxin be released. But, instead, the elevator picks up speed. When it comes to a stop the doors open to once again show the splendor and grandness of the main promenade and all of its patrons and vendors.

The main level is just as crowded as before and the people act as if nothing happened the last time Ish was here. But she did notice more of the passersby having guns strapped to their backs and hips. Ish focuses on her task at hand and reads the directions off of her data pad.

Moments later, she is walking down another corridor in a different part of the station. This section is meant for staff apartments and, as such, the corridors have many doorways. The area is sparsely populated. Only a few others beside Ish are here. As she passes the doorways she reads the apartment number. A moment later, she finds the number that matches the one on the data pad. After she rings the bell, she wonders again if she will be ambushed.

The door opening suddenly interrupts her thoughts. When she sees Gretell dressed casually and wearing a smile on his face, she puts her concerns aside. Remembering to play the flirty Asari, she returns the smile and says "Hi".

"I'm glad you're here" Gretell says trying to be as suave as a Batarian can "Please come in". When Ish walks past him to enter his quarters, she makes sure to stick out her chest and walk with her hips waving back and forth. The Batarian lets out a moan as if a feast of his favorite food were laid before him. Then he closes the door.

Gretell's apartment is a respectable size for a man in his job. The main room is big and easily fits a couch, an entertainment center and even a couple of statues of Batarian art. The statues are brown and made of many curves intersecting each other. Because of the secretive nature of the station, there are no windows. The room is well lit and there are two glasses and a bottle of Asari ale on the table.

"Please have a seat" he tells Ish "Put your weapon down and get comfortable. You are a guest in my place and I want you to feel contempt". When Ish does what he says he walks up to the table and picks up the bottle. "Would you like a glass"?

"A glass would be lovely". Ish watches closely as the man pours the drink into the two glasses. She makes sure he doesn't slip anything into her glass. As the Batarian walks to her with both glasses in his hands, she takes a quick look around her surroundings. She notices, beside the couch, is a small counter with a picture frame on it. The picture is of Gretell holding two Batarian children in his arms. All of their smiles are frozen in the picture.

"Here. Take it. I have something to say" Gretell says offering her the glass. When she takes it, he sits next to her holding his drink. "I wanted to apologize".

"Ish looks at him confused and shakes her head. "About what"?

"Back at the bar" he answers "When we first met. I was rude to you and I made you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes I can be a cocky son of a bitch. I wanted to say sorry and to offer a toast to new beginnings".

Ish listened carefully to every word trying to find any hints of deceit but couldn't find any. The man sounded genuine. She raises her glass and repeats "To new beginnings". Then she puts the glass close to her lips but doesn't sip the ale. She first watches Gretell to see if he waits for her to drink first. To her surprise, he nearly drinks half of the glass in the first gulp. She takes a small sip. If it was poisoned then at least she would only get a small dose. But there was no strange taste. The drink was delicious.

The Batarian smacks his lips from the pleasure the drink gave him and says "I noticed you didn't have the money with you".

"The case was too heavy for me to carry" Ish says "It's in the cargo hold of my ship. Marco told me to give it to you right away but I believe in pleasure _before_ business".

"Words to live by" Gretell says with a smile "I've been living by the wrong philosophy all this time". Ish's giggle was almost genuine. She had to force herself to make it audible but she did find the joke funny.

All of a sudden, the Batarian puts his glass down, looks Ish in the eyes and sincerely asks "Hey, you're not doing this because someone is forcing you to, right? Marco's not forcing you to be here? You're here because you want to be"?

Ish was taken back by the question she never would have expected him to ask. She looks at her glass and then hisses to herself.

"What's wrong?" Gretell asks.

"Nothing" Ish says "It's just that I have lived over two hundred years and you are the first man to ever ask me that. This is a strange fucking galaxy". Gretell chuckles and she answers "The answer is; yes I do want to be here".

Gretell gives a soft smile and says "Follow me. I'll show you to my room".

They both stand up and the Batarian leads the way. When they pass by the table, Ish grabs the bottle of Asari ale. Gretell is the first one to enter his bedroom. The bed, as well as the room, is clean and tidy. There is a computer terminal on the stand next to the bed and a cabinet standing on the other end of the room. The walls are painted dark red and the floor is covered with a brown carpet.

"Please get comfortable" he says as he walks further in the room. Then he turns to look at Ish and asks "Would you like to freshen-".

Out of nowhere, a sharp pain pierces through Gretell as Ish smashes the bottle across his head. The pain is amplified as the alcohol mixes in with the cuts. As he covers his head with his hands, he stumbles over the corner of his bed and crashes to the floor. He rolls on his back thriving in pain and screaming "My eye!" over and over again. Ish pounces on top of the man's chest, pulls his hands off of his face and pins them to the floor with her hands. As the blood pours down his face, he yells "Why did you do that"?

"I'm looking for Marco!" she yells back "You're the one in charge of recording the flight data of every ship that comes here. I want the flight path of Marco's ship"! The more the man tries to struggle free, the more Ish's grip tightens. Convinced he is at a physical disadvantage, he remains still to conserve his strength and pleads for his life. "Don't kill me!" he cries out "I have two children"!

"I don't care" she barks back.

"The Shadow Broker will have me killed if he found out I gave that information to you"!

"If you don't give it to me, I'll kill you right now". Ish then takes her left hand off of Gretell's arm and wraps it around his neck instead. With his throat squeezed like a vice, he struggles to breathe. Ish looks him dead in his now widened eyes and says "You feel that? You know I mean it. Tell me what I want to know and I promise the Shadow Broker won't get his hands on you".

Gretell tries to tell her he will do as she says but only grunts and gargles come out of his mouth. He nods his head instead. Ish releases her grip and gets off of the man. After a few seconds of gathering his strength Gretell crawls to his computer terminal next to his bed and puts his hands on the interface.

"You better not try anything" Ish warns him as she carefully watches every single command he inputs.

It took a little time for Gretell to log on to the database and pull out the information Ish wanted but he did it. After he sees a picture of the Arrowhead, Marco Jevings and its flight data on the screen he lets himself collapse on the floor to cradle his wounds.

"There" he forces out "Take it and go".

Ish walks over the man to get to his terminal. As she reads the Arrowhead's flight data she notices one word repeated many times over. Ontarom. She looks down the flight history and sees the same pattern.

Ontarom, Thessia, Omega, Ontarom, Earth, Ontarom. There are even planets Ish has never heard of. Ontarom, Aegis, Horizon and Ontarom. The last two entries were Omega and Aegis which Ish recognized as the places Marco's ship had visited since their mission began.

"Ontarom" she says to herself "There's a human colony there. He must have a home or safe house there. I found you, you son of a bitch".

Without saying a word, she walks over Gretell again and heads to the doors. Gretell watches her leave the room and forces himself to sit up to try and gather the strength to get help. He holds his wounded eyes and cries while trying to stand up. Suddenly, Ish walks back into the room, this time with her rifle in her hands. When she points at the man, he says "No! What are you doing"?

With no emotions, Ish replies "Keeping my promise" and pulls the trigger. A burst of thermal rounds puncture Gretell's chest and he falls dead on his back. Ish deactivates her weapon and, once it folds in on itself, she straps it to her back and exits the Batarian's apartment. Without any resistance, she goes back to the main promenade level, walks past all of the shops and people, enters the elevator, walks down the long empty corridor, enters the hanger bay and gets inside her ship. Once inside, she jumps into the pilot's seat and quickly preps the ship for takeoff. Ish flies her ship out of there faster than the engine's recommended safety speed.


	12. Chapter 12

It is the middle of the night over Sol's Legacy and, as the weather forecast predicted, it is a beautiful night. A cool breeze passes through the colony. The sound of the trees rustling in the nearby woods can be heard as clearly as the sound of the water from the beach crashing to the shore. A half moon covers the land with just barely enough light to see. Everyone in the colony is asleep. Everyone except Marco.

In the northeast corner of his villa, Jevings sits in his personal office. The room is lit and makes his standard human office cluttering habits visible. He is passing the time by installing the new kinetic shield emitter into his armor suit. The torso, arms and helmet are on his workbench but he is already wearing the armor's legging.

His work is quiet until he hears the sound of his wife's footsteps coming out of the bedroom and walking toward the office. She turns on the hallway lights so she can see where she is going. When she arrives at the office, Tanya stands at the threshold; her red night gown matches the color of her hair.

Marco looks to his wife and asks "Why aren't you in bed"?

"Because you're not" she quickly replies. Marco smirks and turns back to his armor on the workbench. "I couldn't sleep. I was thinking too much".

"You're still worried about him coming after us if we don't report back to him"?

Marco nods his head. "Yeah". Then he walks up to Tanya and rubs her arms with his hands. "I know I said we would leave in the morning but I really think we should go now". Tanya shrugs her shoulders and makes sure her husband understands her disappointment. "Fine" she says "But don't complain to me when he gives us another assignment right away and it's a month before we can come back here again".

He doesn't reply to that. He knows it is a real possibility and he knew she wouldn't believe him if he assured her it wouldn't happen. In fact, knowing Tanya, she would probably take offense to his attempt to patronize her and start an argument. He just gives her a gentle kiss on her forehead and says "I'll contact him and let him know we're on the way".

Marco walks up to his office computer terminal and activates it. When he tries to access the extranet to send a transmission, something unusual happens. It denies his request and lets out a loud low pitched beep. Jevings makes another attempt but the same beep of denial is heard.

"That's strange" he says to himself.

"What is it"?

"I can't send a transmission. I can't even access the extranet".

"It was working before when Samantha called to invite us over".

Suddenly, the computer and all the lights in the house simultaneously turn off by themselves. Tanya is the first to speak. "What the hell"?

"Oh shit" Marco exclaims as he realizes why the power went out. He looks to Tanya and says "Go to the room and put your armor on now". Without hesitation, Tanya runs down the hallway and back into the bedroom. Marco grabs the armor from his workbench and puts it on. He slaps on the torso section first followed by the arm pieces. Once all of his armor is locked in place, he reaches around his side and activates the kinetic barrier.

After that, he sprints down the hall and enters the bedroom to see Tanya locking the last pieces of her armor in place. Tanya's armor is primarily black with a single red stripe running down the center of the chest piece. Marco opens the weapons cabinet in their bedroom and pulls takes out his rifle and Tanya's pistol with the pink stripe on the barrel.

"Listen to me carefully" Jevings urges his wife "When you think it's clear, I want you to sneak out the back and hide in the woods".

Tanya instantly interrupts him to object. "What? No"! But Marco ignores her and continues. "I will distract them for as long as I can. If I don't come looking for you in a half an hour I'm either captured or dead. If that happens, I want you to haul ass back to the Arrowhead and leave. You know where to go".

Tanya grips Marco's arm so tightly he can feel the pressure through the armor plate. "No" she answers like a soldier defying her commander's orders "I'm not leaving you hear to face them alone. We fight back together".

Marco shakes his head and says "We need to keep you and the data disk separated. That's the leverage we need to stay alive. Don't argue with me anymore, Tanya". Marco heads to the hall way with his rifle in his hands leaving his wife in the bedroom.

The glass wall of the kitchen shatters and crumbles after a burst of thermal rounds passes through it. Ish slowly enters the villa crackling the glass as she steps over it. Her instincts are fully primed as she looks down her rifle's sights and covers every corner. The kitchen is quiet and cleared of anyone else. From the kitchen she can see into the dinning room. Her eyes scan every object for anything that resembles a human figure.

When Ish passes the counter in the center of the kitchen she comes to a halt as Marco's voice echoes throughout the first floor of the villa. "Ish is that you?" his voice asks.

"You better believe it" she yells back.

"Turn back now, Ish" Marco's voice pleads "You're not a bad person but I will do everything I can to protect my wife and my home".

"You want to protect your wife and your home? Then surrender and give me Tanya. I know she's the only one who can decrypt it. Give her to me and I'll ask Aria not to kill you".

"You really think I believe that?" Ish focuses on every word he says trying to decipher the direction of its origin "I screwed you, remember"?

"You're right" she says "No more bullshit. I'm here to kill you and take your wife and the disk back to Omega".

"I'm glad we can finally be honest with each other".

"It's your fault" Ish says "You made this personal when you brought my daughter into this. Did you really think I wouldn't-". Suddenly, from the far entrance of the dinning room, Marco jumps out of cover and throws one of Archangel's paralyzing grenades toward the kitchen. Eager to kill him, Ish fires off a few rounds. She only realizes what Marco threw when it lands on the floor a couple of meters in front of her. She curses to herself, turns around and dives to the floor. When she hits the ground she quickly scurries behind the kitchen counter for cover.

When the grenade detonates it unleashes a blast of electricity in every direction. From behind the counter, Ish is just outside the blast radius. Without looking, she blind fires her weapon over the top of the counter.

In the far side of the dinning room, Marco is taking cover in the archway that connects the dinning room to the guest room. He reaches into his utility belt and pulls out the last of the paralyzing grenades and stays quiet. He patiently waits for Ish to stick out her head. When she does, he throws the last grenade at her.

This time, Ish was not taken by surprise. Her right hand glows and creates a singularity in front of her. At first, the grenade passes the sphere but then is pulled toward it by the sphere's gravitational force. When the singularity sucks the grenade in and suspends it in its center, Ish's left hand glows and fires a biotic ball at the grenade. The force of the impact propels the grenade back to Marco. Completely taken by surprise, Marco dives into the dinning room and takes cover underneath the long dinning room table. If he had reacted a split second later, he would have been hit by the electric blast.

Before he could get the opportunity to recover, Ish stands up from the safety of the counter and starts walking toward the living room firing shots as she does it. The thermal rounds pierce through the lavish wooden table and chairs. The long table prevents either one from seeing the other but Ish has the advantage. She knows Marco is somewhere under the table and she has enough rounds to shoot every part of it. Pieces of wood and cloth fly in every direction as Ish's gunfire shreds through the table. Marco's shields take several hits and he knows he has to act fast or else risk his shield failing from all of the pressure.

He activates his omni-tool and accesses the villa's systems from it. Through the holes in the table, Ish can see the orange hue of the omni-tool. She takes aim but, as she pulls the trigger, the villa's fire extinguishing system activates. Throughout the entire house, fire extinguishing gas screams out of their slots on the ceiling. The sudden noise followed by the burst of white gas in her face makes Ish flinch. Marco seizes the opportunity and runs out of the dinning room and into the guest room. Ish tries to recover as fast as possible and blindly fires a round in Marco's direction. But due to the growing thickness of the white fog, she misses.

The fire extinguishing gas fills up the house quick. Ish can't see anything below her waste and neither can she see anything several feet in front of her. Marco is contending with the same visual limitations but, now, he has the advantage. He knows every inch of his house. He knows where every piece of furniture is and the locations of every turn and doorway.

Out of the fog, several bullets fly toward Ish and hit her biotic barrier. The barrier deflected the rounds but put a little strain on the Asari. She fires aimlessly in the direction of the impact but doesn't hear any cries of pain. Several seconds later, the extinguishing system turns off and no more gas comes out of the ceiling. Ish's barrier deflects another series of rounds from a different direction.

Realizing Marco is using the fog to pick her off she reminds herself to let her experience lead her skills instead of her emotions. She crouches down to the floor and uses the fog to become invisible. She makes sure not to make any noise and feeling her way around the house. With visibility all but gone, she focuses more on what she can hear.

As she crawls into the guest room, her instincts serve her well. With the shriek of the extinguishing gas gone, she can hear Marco's faint footsteps as his boots press on the floor panels. She stays absolutely still and takes a moment to become a predator. She holds her breath and fine tunes her plan of attack in her mind.

Then, without warning, she strikes. Ish stands up and holds down the trigger as she points her rifle to her left. The fully automatic fire ripples the fog as it passes through it. As his surprise attack is thwarted, Marco lets out a curse before running out of the guest room and into the living room. Ish chases after his silhouette firing shots as she goes. Only two rounds hit their mark before Marco dashes up the staircase and into the second floor.

Ish stops at the first step of the staircase. Marco has once again left her sights. She is hesitant to go up. Just as she was finally getting a feel for the layout of the first floor, now she has to hunt for Marco on the second floor. Marco had intentionally planned this but she had no choice. The longer she stood there the more likely it is that Marco would run out of the house and escape. She had to stay on top of him and keep pressuring him. She couldn't let him breathe.

So she climbs the staircase keeping her gun ready to fire. Once at the top, she can see a hallway with several doors on both sides. And, on the other end of the hallway, the bedroom door is opened and welcomes her to enter.

"I'm not falling for that, Marco" Ish says out loud so he can hear "You want me to go into that room so I can turn my back on all of these closed doors and let you sneak up on me". There is no response.

Ish kicks open the door closest to her and looks for her target. The fog is more manageable on the second floor. Most of it has seeped down to the first floor from the staircase. Ish kicks open the second door and fires a shot in a random direction hoping to get Marco with a lucky hit before he could react. But there was no one inside to hit.

With the first set of rooms cleared, Ish walks further into the hallway to the second set of doors. She kicks open the door to Marco's office but he isn't there. Then, as she turns to the other door, Marco sprints out of his bedroom.

He had hoped she would think he would try to lure her into a trip. He wanted her to keep her focus on all the rooms except the one he was in. And it worked. Ish was surprised to see Jevings charging at her from the last direction she thought he would come from. In desperation, she threw a biotic ball to knock him to the floor but Marco was ready for it. He ducked the ball not missing a step and punches Ish in the face.

Ish noticed he did not have his gun with him. What she didn't know was that he had dropped it on the first floor when she took him by surprise. She recovered from the blow with a punch of her own. She tried to follow it up with a knee to his abdomen but Marco deflected it with his elbow.

The close quarters combat continued in the narrow hallway of the second floor. Marco threw a left hook but Ish caught it with her hand and tried to twist his wrist. Jevings tried to resist but Ish was putting more force on it. To stop her, he threw his body weight to her arm. Ish couldn't resist under all of that pressure and let go of his hand. Just when Marco thought he had an opening, the Asari woman sent a shot to the side of his ribs. She tried to avoid directly hitting the armor itself as she would more likely hurt herself instead of him. But she remembered that human armor is weakest at the joints and on the sides to allow them to move around comfortably.

Marco yelled out a manly grunt of pain. Both of them can hear each other breathing heavily as they are locked in their grapple. Jevings knew Ish would eventually try to knock him out with a powerful hit to the groin. He saw her do it before to the Batarian guard on The Forum so he knew she is capable of the low blow. And she didn't disappoint. Her knee went straight for his crotch but he anticipated the move and twisted his hips to dodge it.

What he didn't expect was Ish reaching for his short dead hair and trying to pull it out of his head. She only yanked a small part of his hair in her first attempt. Marco screamed in pain and it gave Ish pleasure. She tried to do it again, but Marco countered with an uppercut to her chin. The strike was strong and stunned Ish for a split second. Jevings tried to capitalize with another punch to the face but Ish recovered before that. She dodged the jab and let his momentum take him off balance. Once Marco stumbled, she grabbed his shoulders and tossed him toward the staircase.

As he fell to the ground, his subconscious reflex made him grab Ish's arms and pull her to the floor with him. They both crashed to the floor and began to tumble down the staircase, both of them screaming in pain as the corners of the steps press on their bodies.

When they hit the floor, Ish landed on her back and Marco landed on his chest. Both of them lay next to each other bleeding, bruised and battered. But the fight was not over. Marco is the first one to realize that. He forces himself on his feet just as Ish rolls around to get on all fours. Jevings doesn't waste the few seconds he has. He limps out of the living room and out of Ish's sight so he could recover.

The first thing Ish notices is that the fog is almost gone. Nearly all of it has escaped to the outside via the shattered glass wall. The second thing she notices is a splat of red blood on the floor where Marco had landed. As she gets up she lets out a maniacal laugh. "You're bleeding, Marco" she says "I almost got you". Just then she feels a sharp pain on her cheek. She touches it with her hand and sees that she is bleeding as well. Then she looks around the living room and resumes the hunt.

Marco made his way to the dinning room. He leans on the wall and feels his ribs. They are bruised but not broken but, at this time, he can't tell the difference. He grinds his teeth to redirect the pain and tries not to breathe so heavily so Ish won't pinpoint his location. But it's too late.

From the other side of the wall, Ish yells out a battle cry. Suddenly, the wall Marco was leaning on crumbles under the force of the same biotic force Ish displayed back n the sky bridge of the slave compound. Marco, along with chunks of debris, is thrown forward and lands on the ground. Ish slowly enters the dinning room through the newly formed hole in the wall and stands over Jevings.

Marco's body is beat up but his mind is still in its prime. He analyzes the situation trying to find a strategy that will make him survive. Ish was more of a match than he thought she would be. Her hatred for him gave her the extra power she needed. That's when Marco remembered the lesson he has been taught repeatedly throughout his life: Power is an illusion and it always fades away.

Marco once again forces himself on his feet. He spits out the blood in his mouth and tells Ish "That's all you got"?

"For you, I got plenty".

"Then show me" he says as he takes a step closer to her. "What's with all the foreplay, Ish. You said you came here to kill me. So kill me". Ish smiles, nods her head and then throws a fierce hook with her right hand. With all of his strength he catches the fist with his hand and holds it. Before she could throw her left fist, he grabs that hand as well. Then he moves in so close she can't use her knees and legs to attack.

"Come on, Ish!" he demands "Give me your best shot. No guns! No weapons! Just you and me"! He tightens his grips as he eggs her on. Ish tries to struggle free but she is just as physically drained as Marco. With her body soar, she has one power Marco does not have.

"Come on, do it!" Marco screams "Kill me before I kill you"!

Jevings puts so much of his weight on Ish she starts to bend over backwards. Ish moans and grunts as she tries to put the last ounce of her strength into pushing back. The more she tries the louder her scream gets.

Suddenly, her entire body starts to glow as she looks Marco in his eyes and screams in defiance. Marco looks right back at her and applies even more pressure. Her glow gets stronger as her war cry gets louder. In one moment, Marco can feel his feet planted on the floor and in the next, he can't. He looks down to see that both he and Ish have levitated off of the ground. When he looks back at Ish she unleashes her biotic blast.

Just like in the hanger bay of The Forum, the violet sphere shoots out in all directions. The force throws Marco to the other end of the dinning room wall. Picture frames, chairs and debris fly off of their current positions when the blast hits them. Ish and Marco collapse to the ground at the same time, both of them remain motionless.

Marco is the first to open his eyes. After a few deep breaths, he rolls to his side and turns his head to face Ish. When he sees her lying motionless, he enjoys a sigh of relief. To him, it looks like Ish burned herself out and fainted just like she did on The Forum. With the threat passed out, his thoughts turned to Tanya and her safety.

Then, suddenly, his attention turned back to Ish as he heard her moan and move around. She hadn't fainted as he had planned. She was weak and, as she tried to get up, felt dizzy. But she was not done yet.

Jevings tried with all of his will to get up before she did but he failed. Ish was the first to her feet. She looked at him and saw him on his knees. Then, as she looked away, her head began to spin again. She grabbed her head with her hands but, as she looked down on the ground, Marco's rifle caught her eye.

She stumbled over to it as if she was intoxicated but managed to get a hold of the weapon. When she looked back at Marco he was on one knee and struggling to get the second foot planted on the ground.

Ish walked back to Marco and stood over his right side. Her front was facing the kitchen and the shattered glass reflected the moonlight onto her skin and outfit. Marco made a last ditch effort to get on his feet and would have done it if Ish didn't slam the butt of the rifle into his shoulder. Marco dropped to the floor again and Ish pointed her weapon at his chest.

As she put her finger on the trigger, she tells Marco "This is exactly how I killed you in my fantasies. I wanted you to know that".

Ish looks down the sights of her gun and takes a deep breath. But, just before she pulls the trigger, she sees a shadow being cast on the kitchen floor. When she looks up she sees a Drell, wearing a black leather outfit, standing on the shattered glass and pointing a sniper rifle at her.

"NO"! Ish yells as she hears the blast of the sniper rifle go off.


	13. Chapter 13

The round hits Ish in the exact center of her torso. The force knocks her off of her feet and makes her drop her rifle. She lands on the floor several yards away from Marco. He looks at her as she squirms on the floor clutching her chest. Jevings thought his wife had come back for him to save his life. He smiles as he turns to face the direction of the shooter. However, the smile quickly fades away when he sees Thane Krios instead of his wife and realizes that a new threat has revealed itself.

Marco frantically crawls to Ish to see how bad the wound is. To his surprise, there is no penetration hole. When he realizes what kind of round was used, he shakes the Asari woman to bring her out of her painful stupor.

"Ish, snap out of it" he urges her "It was just a concussive round. You're not punctured".

Thane puts his sniper rifle on the kitchen counter and pulls out the pistol that was in his side arm holster. He slowly walks to Marco being careful to observe every one of his movements.

"Ish, come on! Get up!" Marco screams. The volume of his voice proved to Ish she was not dead yet. When she feels her entire torso and sees everything is still intact she snaps herself out of it and looks at Marco. Just as he nods his head, Thane bends over, grabs his shoulder and tosses him away from her. Then he grabs his arms and forces him on his feet as he presses Marco against the wall.

"You're Marco Jevings" he says, not asking "Drim hired me to acquire you". Suddenly, the two men see Ish stand up on her own power. She is still cradling her abdomen with one arm and is standing a little hunchbacked, but she shows Thane the same look of determination Marco has come to expect from her.

"You're not taking him anywhere" she says defiantly "Marco's mine".

Still pressing Jevings against the wall, Thane looks at Ish and confidently tells her "You're wounded, Asari. You don't stand a chance". Without saying another word, Ish balls her fist and brings them up to challenge him to hand to hand combat. Thane acknowledges the challenge and holsters his side arm. Then he punches Marco in the gut to knock the wind out of him. As Jevings falls to the floor gasping for air, Thane says "Don't go anywhere".

Then Thane turns to Ish and starts to walk to her. Ignoring his lungs aching to inhale, Marco reaches for the Drell's ankle and pulls it as he takes a step. Thane loses his balance and stumbles towards Ish who greets him with a furious right hook.

The Asari woman moves in for a second punch but the Drell recovers so quickly it is as if he wasn't hit at all. He blocks the incoming fist and counters with a back hand to her face. The sight of Ish being punched by this stranger infuriates Marco. He punches the floor, gets up and charges the Drell.

With his back turned to Jevings, Thane didn't see the man coming but he heard him. After blocking another punch from Ish, he quickly turns around to brace himself for Marco. Jevings puts all of his weight into tackling the assassin but, in his weakened state, he didn't have the power to knock Thane down. The assassin had successfully planted his feet on the ground and absorbed the charge.

Now he has the advantage over the human man who is bent over in front of him with his back exposed. Thane thrusts his elbow into Marco's back. Jevings screams but doesn't fall to the floor or releases his grip around Thane's waist. Thane raises his hand to strike Marco in the back of his head but, before he can bring it down, Ish grabs it with one hand and punches Thane with the other.

Marco felt Thane flinch and rises up with an uppercut to his chin. The assassin stumbles back but regains his footing before he could fall.

Now, the three warriors are standing in a triangle formation. Ish and Marco stand next to each other and both of them are facing Thane. Everyone is quiet as they muster the strength needed for the next round.

Ish and Marco attack Thane in unison. Marco throws the first punch but Thane ducks underneath it. He rises up just in time to block Ish's knee. Frustrated, Ish goes for a straight jab but only hits air.

Thane's martial arts and close quarters combat techniques are lightning fast and impressive. The Human and the Asari try desperately to land a blow but can not penetrate the assassin's defenses. The second round only lasts five seconds and was ended when Thane uses Ish's forward momentum to hurl her into Marco. The two trip over each other's feet and fall to the floor, landing next to each other.

The skilled Drell reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a pair of metal hand restraints. He grabs Ish's hands first and slaps on the bindings. Then he handcuffs Jevings. Both of them were two exhausted to resist. Having finally subdued his targets, Thane takes a deep breath and, with a humble and grateful tone, says "Thank you. That was fun".

The assassin wastes no time. He gets Ish and Marco to their feet and goes to the kitchen where he picks up his sniper rifle and aims it at them. "Where's the data disk"?

Both Marco and Ish quickly answer in synch "What disk"?

"Please, no games" Thane replies "I know you are in possession of the disk. And I know your wife can access it".

"Yeah, well good luck finding her" Marco spits out.

"I already have". Thane allows a moment of silence to let the fact sink in. "I was fortunate. And, when I threatened to kill you if she didn't cooperate, she surrendered".

Ish shakes her head and looks at Jevings. "He's bluffing, Marco" she says "He's trying to trick you. He doesn't have shit".

"Don't I"? Thane's eyes widen as far as they can go. Then his facial expressions loosen up and he just stares straight ahead as if he was in a trance. His voice becomes even more rasp as he tells them the exact details of his memory. "I see a woman. Her short red hair is picked up in the wind as she runs in the woods. She runs straight to me and doesn't see me in the darkness of the night. I admire her sense of fashion. The single red stripe on her black armor is the same color as her hair. When I grab her, she reaches for her weapon. It is a pistol with a pink stripe on the barrel. I call to her. Tanya. And she looks me in the eyes".

Marco hangs his head and says "He isn't lying". Then he looks up to Thane. "Where is she"?

"She's safe" he answers "For now. If you give me the disk, I promise I won't kill her".

Marco isn't fooled by the threat. He stands tall and says "Now _that's _a lie. If Drim really sent you, then he ordered you to bring Tanya back unharmed".

"I wasn't referring to your wife" he says as he aims the sniper rifle solely to Ish "I was referring to the Asari".

Marco and Ish look at each other as Thane speaks. "I noticed how you stood up for her. You respect her. You may even have feelings for her. I'm not sure but I do know that you don't want to see her killed. Am I right"?

Marco stares at Ish and she stares right back at him. They share eye contact as he answers "Yes. You're right".

"Good" Thane says before asking "Now where is the disk"? Marco breaks his eye contact with Ish and looks to the assassin. "Let me see my wife and, I give you my word I will cooperate without resistance".

Thane only takes seconds to think it over before replying "Okay, this way. We're going to take a walk to the woods". With his hand he calls them over. The two prisoners walk to him and exit the villa from the shattered wall. "Head that way" he orders as he points the barrel of his sniper rifle to the woods. "I'll be behind you the whole time. Do not attempt to flee". With their hands bonded behind their backs, Marco and Ish leave the villa's premises and walks towards the woods to the north. Thane walks several meters behind them with his gun at the ready.

The shadows the trees of the woods give makes the night seem even darker than it is. Marco now sees why his wife was so easily ambushed. The trees are scattered throughout. This part of the woods is not dense so it was easy to avoid walking into trees despite the darkness. No one speaks. Only the sounds of leaves and grass being crushed by boots is heard. The colony is behind them and is not far from where they are. If they were to turn around, they would see small glimmers of lights from the colonists' homes.

Thane startles everyone as he breaks the silence. "Stop" he says "Look over there, Marco".

"Where"?

"Do you see the thin tree ten meters in front of you"? When Marco says "Yes" Thane continues. "Look over to the left and count ten trees. Your wife is tied up to the last one". Jevings squints his eyes but still can't see through the darkness. "I don't see her" he says.

"Call to her".

Marco gently calls out his Tanya's name. A woman's voice answers from the darkness.

"Marco"?

Jevings jogs toward the sound of his wife's voice. Thane allows it and grabs Ish's arm to walk with him as they catch up. When Marco gets up to the tenth tree to the left he can see Tanya tied to it. She tries to struggle free but the restraints are too secured. When Marco kisses his wife she can taste the blood off of his lips. "You're bleeding. Are you okay"?

"I'm a little beat up but it's nothing that hasn't been broken before" he jokes to reassure her of his well being.

"A Drell captured me and tied me up".

"I know" Marco says.

When Tanya asks "How do you know?", Marco turns around to show her his hands tied behind his back. That's when Tanya looks past her husband's shoulder and see Thane escorting Ish to their position. Thane positions Ish next to the tree and pulls Marco away from his wife.

"Satisfied"?

Jevings nods his head.

"I kept up my end of the bargain, Marco" Thane says "Now keep your word. Where is the data disk"?

Jevings stays quiet as he looks to his wife. After a few seconds, he turns to Ish and says "She has it".

Ish's jaw drops. She truly thought Marco had some sort of scheme up his sleeve to trick the assassin just like he tricked her. When he ratted her out, a part of her couldn't believe it but another part of her wasn't surprised.

"Marco, what the hell"? she exclaims. As she looks to Marco for an answer, Thane steps in front of her and says "Where is it, Asari"?

As Ish opens her mouth to tell Thane a lie, Marco interjects. At this point he knows her too well. And, what the Drell said before was true. After everything they have been through, and after all of her attempts to kill him, Marco had no ill feelings toward Ish and didn't want to see her get hurt.

"Ish" he says "It's over. Give him what he wants. Trust me. It's not worth it".

Ish whispers "Damn it" to herself and then looks at Thane. "It's in my front pocket".

The Drell reaches in her front pocket and feels around without shame. He pulls out the Shadow Broker's data disk and holds it like a jeweler holds a diamond when he examines its purity.

This time, Marco's jaw drops. He couldn't believe Ish could have something so valuable in such a vulnerable place. Contrary to Ish's beliefs, Marco did have a scheme to trick Thane. But that plan was dependent on the disk being in Ish's ship so he had time to implement it. "Really?" he asks sarcastically "You had it in your front pocket the whole time"?

"Just shut up" Ish snarls back at him "I had no choice. My ship was too small and it doesn't have any secured containers".

Thane puts the disk in his pocket and secures it with the zipper. Then he gives the three prisoners instructions. "Alright, everyone, be quiet and pay attention" he begins "My ship is to the west, not far from here. When we get there, I will secure you in the cargo hold and take you back to Helyme where I will hand you over to Drim. Are there any questions"?

If her hands weren't bound together, Ish would raise her hand. Instead, she tilts her head up and says "I have a question".

"What is it"?

"What's stopping the three of us from jumping you and running off in three different directions"?

Thane answers her precisely as she finishes the question. "I wouldn't give you the chance to run three meters. You have already seen my fighting skills and this rifle is a part of my body. I know how to use it in any distance, not just long ranges. And you are forgetting the fact that Drell can see through the dark better than humans and Asari can. I highly recommend you cooperate".

Ish stays quiet as she was promptly put in her place.

"If there are no further questions, we will-".

Thane was interrupted by a loud rumbling sound coming from the sky. The sound is heavy with bass and vibrates the air. Tanya, Ish, Thane and Marco look up to see a massive spaceship entering the planet's atmosphere. The vessel is so large they can clearly see it even through the night sky.

The ship is long with a vague cylinder shape. While some metallic hull can be seen, most of the ship looks like it was made of solid rock. A large ring wraps around the aft section of the ship where the burning light of its single massive engine is. The front end of the behemoth is indented like a crater.

The vessel slowly falls from the sky in the upright position with the engine pointing down to the ground. It aims itself towards Sol's Legacy. The colonists begin to wake up from their peaceful sleep and turn on their home lights. As the number of lights in the colony increase, the four of them can only watch in disbelief and frightful awe as the towering vessel touches down on the western borders of the colony. The vessel roars as the engines die down.

As Ish looks up at the ship, which looks enormous even from their distance from the colony, she is the first one to recognize who the ship belongs to. Marco and Tanya knew as well but did not speak.

"That's the Collector ship" Ish says.

"The Collectors?" Thane asks "How can you be so sure"?

"That ship has been seen coming out of the Omega 4 mass relay" she answers, not once taking her eyes off of the ship "Only Collector ships use that relay".

"What the hell are the Collectors doing all the way out here?" Tanya asks "This planet is a long way from the Omega 4 relay". Then she looks specifically to her husband and tells him "Marco, do you know why they are here"? Jevings shakes his head and truthfully answers "No. I don't".

Just then, the Collector ship shrieks and several hatches on the sides of the ship open up. Seconds later, swarms of winged insect-like machines fly out of the hatches and intently head toward the colony. Screams and shouts for help are heard from the colony immediately after the swarms enter it.

Fear and panic infects the colony. As the swarms enter their homes, the colonists run out into the streets still wearing their sleeping attire. Many of them run barefoot in every futile direction. Parents carry and drag their children away from their beds, trying to find a place to call safe.

The bugs specifically target the colonists. They are not here for the technology or for the credits. They are here for the people and they do not discriminate. Men, women, the elderly, children and babies are all victims of equality. An insect would land on the skin of its victim and, like a mosquito, penetrates the skin with its needle-like nose. Seconds later, the victim would freeze into place in whatever position they were in when they were stung. While in the paralyzing stasis, the victims are only able to move their eyes and watch as their friends and families are caught in the same fate.

A mob of colonists run in one direction while another mob stampedes in another, none of them understanding the hopelessness of their flight. What was once a calm ambience of rustling tree leaves and soft breezes has now turned into the buzzing of the bugs and cries of the colonists. The insects cover the sky, land on the ground, crawl on the walls and enter their homes. They are everywhere.

Samantha and Jon, Tanya's friends who invited her and Marco over to dinner, run out of their home and down the streets. Jon is leading the way while holding onto his wife's arm and pulling it as far as a human arm can be pulled. He runs faster than his wife can keep up. Samantha holds the bottom of her nightgown with her free hand so she wouldn't trip over the cloth. She pleads with her husband to run in one direction while he urges her to follow him to the landing pad so they could escape.

When they turn the corner of the street they see a large group of colonists sprinting towards them with a swarm in pursuit. One by one, the bugs over takes the fleeing people and suspends them in the dashing pose they were caught in.

When Jon and Samantha see the chaos heading right to them, they turn around and run away. Jon was only able to run a few feet before tripping over a colonist who was frozen solid on the floor. The married couple crash to the floor hard. All of Jon's weight lands on his knee and Samantha falls on top of him. She gets up quickly and tries to bring her husband to his feet but his injury is too painful. He rocks back and forth on the ground, holding his knee with both hands and grinding his teeth while he groans.

Samantha begs him to get up. She grabs his hands, pulls them away from his knee and puts all her strength into trying to lift him to his feet. Just as she was making progress, the swarm catches up with them. A bug lands on them both and, shortly after, they can no longer move. Their eyes look in every direction until, finally, they look at each other. Other colonists suffer the same fate in similar ways. Sol's Legacy has never experienced a horror like this since its founding. Until this night, it was a place of respite.

Back in the woods, tears roll down Tanya's eyes as the screams echo through out the night. She stands next to Marco unable to wipe the tears from her face because of her restraints. Tanya isn't fanatically crying. She isn't distraught and losing control on the floor. In fact, the only sound she makes is when she sniffles from the tears.

Marco, on the other hand, is not crying at all. A furious rage fills his eyes instead of tears. Jevings helped make the colony what it is. What it was. Like Tanya, he knew many of the people for a long time. The voices of the screams sound too familiar. There is only so much, Marco can take. After he hears the cries of a baby fall silent, he turns to Thane and walks up to him. Thane reacts by slightly raising his weapon to remind Marco of his authority over him. But Marco doesn't care. Without flinching, he stays his path and only stops when he is right in front of the assassin.

"Unbind me" he demands "I'm going to help them".

"Absolutely not" Thane quickly replies "Those things don't know we're here in the woods. I intend to keep it that way". Marco's anger grows more and he yells at Thane not fearing any consequences. "What's your plan? That we just stay here and hide"!

"Precisely" Thane replies, his tone of voice always calm and collected "Once the swarm passes and the Collectors leave the colony, we will go to my ship and I will complete my mission".

"Damn it!" Marco shouts in frustration.

"Look!" Tanya calls to the group "A ship is taking off from the landing pad". Everyone watches as the ship Ish stole rises from the ground and turns to face the sky. A colonist, in his attempt to flee the chaos, has stolen Ish's shuttle. The thrusters turn off and its primary engines fire up. But just then, a yellow energy beam shoots out of the side of the towering Collector ship and hits the shuttle. In one shot the small craft bursts into flames and debris showers back to the ground, releasing an explosion as it crashes.

Ish is both frustrated and relieved when she sees her ship explode. She is frustrated because her primary means of escaping the planet was just blown up. But she is relieved that she decided to keep the Shadow Broker's data disk in her pocket. If she kept it on the ship, it would have been destroyed as well.

"Damn" Thane says as he comes to the same realization Ish does. The Asari puts words into the Drell's thoughts. "They have the skies covered. As long as that ship is here, none of us are getting off this planet".

Twenty minutes pass and the screams of the colonists do not let up. They just get less frequent. Marco and Tanya stand helpless. It is a feeling they have rarely experienced. The last time Marco felt helpless was during his childhood. Since then, he has always taken charge of his life and other situations. He was always in control. This night was a bitter reminder of his lack of control. He can't take it anymore. Marco looks back to Thane again and repeats his demand. "Unbind me".

"I said, we wait".

"We can't afford to wait" Marco fires back "The sun is going to rise in less than two hours. And these woods don't provide much cover during the day. At dawn, the Collectors are going to see us".

Thane reaffirms his position by folding his arms and saying "The answer is 'No'".

"Then screw you!" Marco shouts in Thane's face. Then he turns away and starts walking in the direction of the colony. When Tanya sees this, she is so shocked at first she doesn't move. But, as she sees her husband walking further away, she takes action.

"Marco, no"! Tanya runs to her husband and stops herself in front of him to prevent him from continuing. "Don't go. We already lost everyone we cared about. I'm not going to lose you too".

As they talk to each other, they desperately want to hold each other for comfort but their restraints keep their hands behind their backs. Tanya can see the fear in her husband's eye hiding behind the anger.

"I'm not just going to stand here while the Collectors do God knows what to those people" Marco says "I have to help". Desperate and fearful of her husband's safety, she turns her tone from pleading to commanding. "What the hell do you think you're going to do?" she yells "You're beat up and your hands are tied behind your back".

"I'll think of something" he says "But I'm not just going to stand here and wait for them to leave just so these two mercs can take us away to be prisoners". Then Marco faces Thane and Ish and tells them "I'm going in there whether you like it or not". After that, he kisses his wife on the forehead and walks toward the colony again.

The stubborn and passionate Tanya quickly runs in front of her husband again and stops him. "Marco, don't be stupid. I wish I could help the colony too but what you're doing is suicide"!

Suddenly, Thane's eyes glimmer with interest and he repeats the word to himself.

"Suicide".

Realizing that she will not change her husband's mind, she whispers "I'm going with you" and walks with him. This time it is Thane who stops Jevings in his steps. "Marco, wait".

"I don't have time for you, Drell".

"The name's Thane Krios" he replies as he walks up to his prisoner "And I want to help you".

"Why the hell would you want to help us?" Marco asks.

"I have my reasons".

"I'll bet" Marco says "Drim is paying you more to bring us back alive, right"?

Thane just tilts his head and lies "Something like that". In truth, the Drell had a more personal reason for helping Marco but he would never tell him what it is.

"You really want to help?" Marco asks while looking him straight in his eye "Then unbind me". Without hesitation, the assassin puts his hands on Marco's metal restraints and unlocks them. Then he does the same to Tanya. The confused Jevings couple looks to each other for answers but don't find anything.

"What's your plan?" asks Thane.

Marco quickly snaps out of his confusion and composes himself. "I was thinking we could run through the colony on our way to the landing pad. We gather as many survivors as we can on the way. Then we get on the Arrowhead and fly like hell".

Ish walks closer to the other three to be a part of the group. Her hands are still tied behind her back. "Didn't you see what the Collector ship did to my ship? That thing has some strong weaponry".

"The Arrowhead is equipped with one of the most advanced kinetic barriers in existence" Marco says "If I can transfer all of the ship's power to just the shields and engines, we might live long enough to leave the planet and fly to the mass relay".

"Might?" Ish repeats.

"It doesn't matter" Thane interjects "That plan won't work". Frustrated by his negativity, Marco aks him "How are you so sure it won't work"? Like the professional that he is, Thane answers without hesitation "Because I planted thermal explosives on your ship's engines. They are set to explode five seconds after the engines are activated".

"You wanted to make sure I didn't escape"?

"Precisely".

Marco takes a second to think and adjust his plan. "Can you deactivate the explosives"? Thane reluctantly nods his head and says "Yes, but I didn't design the charges to be easily disarmed. It will take time. Time I doubt the Collectors will give us".

As Tanya speaks, she points her finger at the Collector ship. "The problem is the Collector ship. As long as it's on the ground, we can't help anyone. We have to find a way to get it to leave".

"I have an idea" Marco says, to which Thane asks "What do you have in mind"? But before Jevings can answer, the Collector ship lets out the same high pitched shriek it did when the swarms came out of it. The group looks at the massive ship and sees the swarm leaving the colony and flying back inside the ship.

"Are they leaving?" Tanya asks.

"It doesn't matter" Thane answers "With the swarm gone, this is our chance to enter the colony. We can use the cover of darkness to our advantage".

Marco nods at Thane to confirm what he said. Then he grabs his wife's hand and turns to Ish. "Are you coming"? The Asari woman looks at the rest of the group and then to Marco. "No, of course not" she says "I'm not as eager to get myself killed as you all are. I haven't done everything I needed to do in my life yet". Marco pleads with Ish and says "Your biotics would come in handy and give us a better chance to survive".

"I came here to kill you. Remember, Marco" Ish snaps at him "Your survival is not a priority to me".

Just as she finished her sentence Marco lets go of his wife's hand and walks up to Ish. After putting, a hand on her arm he says "Help me, Ish" he says softly "And, if we make it out of this alive, I promise you won't regret it".

"Says the human that's been so honest with me this whole time" she snaps back "I fell for your promises before. Not this time".

"So you are just going to stand here in the woods" Marco argues "You really think that, if I make it to my ship, I'm going to come back here? No, Ish, I'm gone. What will you tell Aria? How will you explain that you let me go so easily"?

After hearing that, Ish shakes her head and chuckles in Marco's face as she realizes his valid point. "You really have everything figured out, do you? You have a plan within a plan within a plan". After another second of sharing eye contact, Ish walks past Marco and goes to Thane. "Release me" she says. As the Drell unlocks the restraints she turns back to Marco and says "Let's get one thing clear, Marco" she begins "I'm not doing this because I feel sorry for you or your wife or your friends in the colony. I'm doing this because it's as you said. I still have a mission to complete". As soon as her bindings are unlocked she frees herself, grabs the metal cuffs and spikes it to the ground. Then she turns to Thane and says "And you, Drell, you have my data disk. When this is all over, I'm going to get it back".

"I look forward to you trying" he says, his voice as calm as ever. After that, Thane walks over to Marco and gives him his pistol. "We've wasted enough time talking". Marco takes the pistol and activates it. Thane changes the rounds in his sniper rifle from concussive to lethal. Marco looks to his wife and then to the Asari and then to the Drell.

"All right, everyone. Let's go".


	14. Chapter 14

The night sky was a powerful ally to the group of four. They easily made their way to the borders of the colony without being seen. Inside the colony was different. The streets, which were once walked by content humans living out their peaceful lives, were now occupied by the Collectors. They walk the streets, some on patrol searching for any straggling survivors and some gathering the colonists that were caught in the seeker swarm and placing them in hover pods to be brought back to their ship.

The sight of the Collectors in the dying moon light was something out of old horror stories. Each Collector stood naked seven feet tall and had slimy hard brown skin. Their elbows and knees were extended to look like the bone had grown further from the body than normal. The four digits on their hands were long compared to a human's but they held their weapons just as easily. The tops of their heads were flat but curved downward towards their backs. And, in the front, two pairs of eyes glow orange with the rest of their face completely deprived of any emotion or expression.

Marco leads Tanya, Ish and Thane down a dark alley in the residential district of Sol's Legacy. They crouch as they lay in wait for the group of Collectors to pass by and patrol another sector of the colony. From the alley Marco can see the front door of the house closest to him is partially open. When the coast is clear he signals the group to get out of the alley and head to the house. Marco is the first to sprint inside. As the rest of the group follow, he quickly checks the corners with his pistol.

The living room is full of furniture. All the lights in the entire house are off. When the swarms attacked, the former residence did not bother to turn them on as they left. Now, turning on the lights would just draw the aliens' attention.

"All right" Marco tells the group "We'll wait here until the next patrol passes. Then we move on. Everyone stay out of sight and stay quiet".

"I'll stand watch by the window" Thane says and goes to the living room window which is covered by dark blue drapes. The Drell slowly pulls the drapes only an inch so he could look out into the street.

Tanya looks around the living room and notices all of the furniture and pictures hanging on the walls are all untouched. It's as if the residence simply went on vacation. There are no signs of them running for their lives.

Marco notices Ish standing next to the staircase leading to the second floor. She leans on the railing and stares at the floor as she rubs her arms together. Jevings can tell she is thinking about her daughter. It is the same thought she has had every time her life is in danger. She wanders if the next few moments will be her last. She asks herself if she will ever get the chance to see Braiala again. He walks to her being careful not to step on the wrong piece of wood that could creek from his weight. "Are you okay?" he whispers to her.

"What do you care?" she snaps back, making sure her volume is barely audible.

"Believe it or not, I do care" he replies "Just because I lied to you doesn't mean I didn't sympathize for your situation. We were both looking for the people we love. I know I lied about having a son but I know what you are going through. Tanya was stolen from me the same way Braiala was".

"What's your point, Marco?" Ish interrupts with a cold attitude.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry for lying to you, Ish" he tells her with sincerity in his voice "We may not get out of here alive. I wanted to tell you that while I still had the chance to".

As Ish absorbs the meanings of his words, she takes a long inhale and lets out an equally long exhale. "I still plan to kill you and take your wife to Omega if we get off this planet" she says "I understand why you did what you did. And, truthfully, I would have"-

Suddenly, a noise is heard from the second floor. The floor boards upstairs creek as the sound of something rustling is heard. Thane and Tanya look at Ish and Marco.

"A survivor?" Ish asks.

"They won't be for long if they keep making noise" Marco says. Then he looks to Thane and points two fingers at his eyes. Understanding the gesture, the assassin takes his post at the window and continues to keep a look out. Just as Thane peeks past the drapes again, he sees two Collectors walking out of the house across the street. One of them is pushing a hover pod with a colonist in it.

The rustling upstairs continues and gets louder. Thane can see the aliens looking in the direction of the house they are in. Their interest grows as they hear the sound. The Collectors look at each other and then cautiously walk to the house.

"Everyone hide" Thane warns the others. Without question, all four of them run up the stairs as quietly as possible.

The first Collector opens the front door with the same gun it is holding its weapon with. The living room is empty when it looks around. When the second alien enters, it stops at the center of the room. They both hear the noise again and walk upstairs with their weapons at the ready. The second floor is made up of several bedrooms and a rest room. The only room with a closed door is the one where the sound is coming from. The two Collectors walk toward the door. The one in front grabs the door knob and quickly snaps the door open.

When they hear barking, they look down to see a small Maltese dog looking up at them. The animal barks at the menacing looking aliens. When it doesn't stop, the Collector that opened the door shoots it. The alien looks around the room, searching for survivors but there are none to be found. Then it leaves the room and heads back to the stairs. But, just before it was going to go downstairs, it notices the doors to the others rooms are open.

The second alien stands guard by the stairs while the first one enters the next bedroom. A little girl once slept in this room. There are dolls on the shelves and the walls, as well as the bed sheet, is pink. At first glance the room is empty. But the Collector did not search the room. If it had, it would have found Tanya hiding under the bed and Ish hiding in the closet.

The alien then walks into the next bedroom. The orange eyes do a quick scan, the creature makes a gargling sound and it leaves, not seeing Marco and Thane hiding behind the door. The two aliens walk back downstairs and head for the exit. The first Collector leaves and the second one was about to do the same. But something by the living room window caught its eye. It walks up to the drapes and sees a sniper rifle standing upright and leaning on the wall next to the window. It picks up the gun, examines it and then looks around the room. Like before, the room is empty and dead quiet. The Collector puts the gun back where he found it and exits the house.

Back upstairs, Marco and Thane get out of their desperate hiding spot behind the door and walks to the window. They look down at the street to see the two Collectors taking the stasis pod with the paralyzed colonist in it down the street.

"It looks like they are taking the colonists back to their ship" Thane tells Jevings who then says "Yeah, but why? What could the Collector's possibly want with a human colony"? Thane doesn't answer because he has none to offer.

Ish and Tanya enter the room. "The cost is clear" Tanya says "If we're going to move on now is the best time".

The group goes back downstairs. Marco peeks his head out of the front door to check if the street is empty of patrols. Thane returns to the window to pick up his rifle but pauses when he notices the rifle is standing in a different position. He picks it up when he hears Marco say "Let's go".

It took ten minutes of stealth and sneaking past patrols for the group to reach the town square of Sol's Legacy. On the way, they walked past colonists who were still frozen but not yet brought to the Collector ship. Their eyes would follow the four mercenaries, wanting to scream for help but unable to.

The center of the square is surrounded by a circle of trees with a giant stone plaque in the center. The writing on the plaque commemorates the day the colony was founded. Tall stone archways surround the square in the same circular formation as the trees in the center. Benches and tables are placed throughout the square and face the stone.

As they enter the square, Marco and Tanya stand behind one of the archway's legs while Thane and Ish hide behind the other. Marco peeks his head to look for the enemy then faces the others and whispers aloud. "Okay, we need to make it to the other side of the square" he says "After that, it's a straight shot to the landing pad".

Thane looks at the square himself and then shakes his head "no" at Marco. "That's a bad idea" he tells him "It's too exposed. There are too many lines of sights and it only takes one of them to sound the alarm".

"You got a better plan?" Tanya says to defend her husband.

Just as Thane was about to answer, four Collectors enter the square from the opposite side. They gargle at each other when they speak. Each alien is holding a hovering stasis pod. Their pods are empty but they have entered the square to fill it up with the colonists who were caught there.

Tanya, Marco, Thane and Ish press their backs on the archway legs and remain absolutely still and quiet. They stay that way for several minutes as the Collector's scatter around to decide which colonist they want to put in the pods.

"We can't stay here" Tanya whispers to the group. Ish keeps her body pressed on the stone and replies "The hell we can't". This time, Marco defends his wife. "She's right" he says "Dawn will be here soon. Once that sun comes up, we might as well jump up and down and wave our hands at them".

"So what do we do?" Ish asks. All four of them look at each other for answers but none of them offer any. The group is silent until Marco says "We have to take them out quietly. And we have to do it without firing a shot".

Ish and Tanya look at Marco in total disagreement but Thane doesn't. He peeks his head out and surveys the square and the enemies in it. Tanya puts her hand on her husband's arm as she says "I don't think that's a good idea, hun. You and Thane are the only ones with weapons. If they see us I don't have anything to defend myself with".

"We have to do something" he tells her "We don't have much time".

"I'll do it" Thane says to the group. The other three just look at him in silence. "I'll take them down one by one and get their weapons". The other three was going to ask the same question but Ish beat them to it. "What do you mean 'You'll do it'?" she asks "You're going to kill all of them by yourself"?

"Yes. I prefer it that way".

"You know, if they see you, you're dead" Marco exclaims to him. Showing no sense of fear or concern, Thane gives his sniper rifle to Ish and says "They won't see me". After checking the locations of the four Collectors one last time, he sprints out of the cover of the archway and vanishes in the darkness.

The first Collector brings his pod to the edge of the square where a mother and child are frozen still. The living statues are holding hands as they were lifting their legs to run away. The alien grabs their hands and separates them. Then it picks up the small child and carries it to the pod. It places the child inside the pod and operates the pod's interface to seal it closed. Without warning, two scaly arms wrap themselves around the alien's head. Before the Collector could understand what was happening to him, the arms drag him into the shadows of the square. The kill only took a single second and was done without a sound.

The second Collector, who was not too far from the first one and never knew it was killed, walks up to its pod to bring it to the colonist it decided to capture. To its surprise it sees a body already lying still inside the pod. It is too dark to see the body's features from where the Collector was standing, so it moves closer. When it stands right next to the pod, it bends over to look at the body. Before it gets a chance to scream for help, Thane pulls the alien into the pod with him. After making the kill, the assassin slides out of the pod and disappears once again.

After the third Collector seals its colonist into its pod, it looks up and checks for the others. It notices a pod on the other side of the square is unattended with none of its comrades standing by it. The alien firmly grips its weapon and then walks toward the pod. The four orange eyes look left and right in search of the missing Collector. When it gets to the pod, it looks in and gargles as it sees a dead Collector inside. Alarmed, the alien quickly turns around to call for the fourth Collector. It looks all around the square but doesn't see it or the other two aliens it came into the square with. All alone, it takes cover between the legs of the nearest archway. It points its weapon in all directions looking for a target. Suddenly Thane, who was hiding around the corner of the same stone leg, approaches the Collector from behind. In one continuous motion it kicks the back of the alien's knee outward to make it drop to the ground. Then he bends the alien backwards and wraps his arm around the Collector's neck. After a quick cracking sound, the alien's body falls to the floor.

Marco, Ish and Tanya look forward as they keep their backs pressed on the legs. "Is he okay?" Tanya asks "I don't hear anything".

"I'll check" Marco says. When he looks around the corner, he is startled when he sees Thane standing right there holding two Collector weapons in his hands.

"It's clear" he tells the others. He gives one of the weapons to Tanya and goes to Ish and offers her the other. "If I give you this weapon, you aren't going to shoot me with it, are you?" he asks the Asari. As she takes the weapon, she replies "I don't think I'll have to" she says as she returns Thane's rifle to him "With any luck, the Collectors will do the job for me".

"The two of you can kill each other later" Marco says "Let's go". The four of them get out of their cover and run through the square to get to the street which will take them to the landing pad.

Just as they reach the center, the shot of a gun firing is heard and hits Marco in his back. Jevings falls to the floor and Tanya quickly goes to pick him up.

"Marco, are you okay?" she asks, clearly worried for his life.

As she helps him back on his feet, Marco answers "I think so. The force just knocked me off my feet. When another shot passes by the group they look to the direction it came from. The shot came from the same direction they entered the square from. As the group sees six Collectors running towards them, more shots fly in their direction. Ish and Thane's respective shields deflect two rounds each. The strain of forcing her biotic ability to deflect the shots makes Ish groan and stumble.

"Take cover!" Marco orders. Without hesitating, they run to the center of the square and each of them takes cover behind a tree. Thane is the first to return fire with his sniper rifle. He successfully hits one of the aliens who stumbles but gets back up. Marco, Ish and Tanya follow the assassin's example and fires at the enemy.

The incoming Collectors take cover behind the legs of the archways. The fire fight lights up the colony square. Because both the archway legs and the trees are big enough, neither side doesn't score a hit for nearly a minute.

Ish notices the enemy split up. Two of the Collectors start moving to the right side of the square and two moves toward the left side. "They're trying to flank us" she yells.

"She's right" Thane confirms "If we stay here much longer, we'll be surrounded".

Marco looks behind him at the street they need to get to. Then he returns his attention to the fire fight. After one more shot from his weapon he orders "Tanya, Ish cover us! Thane and I will run to the archway closest to the street. When we get there, we will give you suppression fire so you can get to us".

"Go now!" Tanya screams. Thane and Marco sprint for the archway. Thane's shields sparkle as they deflect more rounds. Marco is hit again and almost loses his balance. He regains it just before he falls and runs even faster than before. When they get to the archway, the Drell and the Human get behind the legs.

"Why are they using concussive rounds for you and not me?" Thane asks Marco.

"Concussive rounds?" Jevings repeats.

"Yes. I know the sound a concussive shot makes when it hits a kinetic barrier" Thane answers. Then Marco looks at the power level of his shield's emitter. "You're right. My shields are near full strength". Thane aims down the scope of his rifle and places the reticule on a Collector's forehead. When he pulls the trigger he watches as the alien falls dead on the ground.

"I wish I could say the same" Thane says, trying to speak louder than the sound of Marco's gun "My shields are at half strength".

"For some reason, they want Humans alive".

Back at the center of the square, Ish and Tanya continue to fire at the Collectors. After another burst, Tanya goes back to cover and looks to her husband at the other end. When she sees Marco waving her over, she turns to the Asari. "Ish, come on"!

Just as they run out of cover, one of the Collectors fires a grenade round from its weapon. The explosive hits the tree Ish was hiding behind and cracks it in half. Ish stumbles from the blast. When she looks up, she sees the top half of the tree teetering over in her direction. She rolls out of the way just in time. The body of the tree crashes behind her but a couple of braches land over her legs. They don't land directly on top of her but they do pin her to the floor.

Tanya makes it to the archway. Jevings grabs her arm and pulls her to cover. "Stay here!" he tells his wife "I'm going after Ish"! Not understanding the reasoning behind his decision, Tanya shakes her head and yells "No! Leave her"!

Without looking back, Marco runs back into the square. He is hit in the chest by another concussive round. The force knocks him off of his feet and he falls to his back. Pushing past the pain, he gets up and crawls as fast as he can letting the gun fire fly over him.

When he gets to the fallen tree he takes cover behind it and blind fires at the enemy.

"What are you doing here?" Ish yells at him as she desperately tries to squirm free.

"I told you before. I don't want to see you hurt". He fires one more shot at them and then points his pistol at the tree branches. "Hold still so I don't hit you"! Marco fires one shot for every branch breaking them off and freeing the Asari woman.

"When you run, run in front of me" he orders her.

"This doesn't change anything, Marco"!

"Fine! Whatever! Just move your ass"!

He helps Ish to her feet and pushes her in front of him. Knowing the Collectors want Humans alive, he makes sure to keep his body between Ish and the Collectors. Another concussive shot hits his back but he has learned to take the brunt. He barely misses a step but that flinch allowed another round to fly past him.

The shot hit Ish's back instead. Because her shield is biotic based, deflecting a concussive round puts the same strain on her as deflecting a thermal round. She loses balance and was about to trip over herself when Marco grabs her from behind and brings her back up.

When the two of them make it to the cover of the archway legs, Ish is breathing heavily. "I don't think I can take another shot like that" she tells Marco. He holds on to her arms and tells her "We're almost there. The landing pad is half a kilometer down this street".

"They're bringing reinforcements" Thane warns them. Marco peeks out and sees another squad of Collectors entering the square. They gargle and shriek as they join the ones that are already there.

"All right, everyone" Marco tells the others "Run like your life depends on it".

The four of them stop firing and force themselves to run faster than they never thought possible. The Collectors fire at them as they give pursuit. But, because of the distance from their enemy and the darkness of the night, all of the shots miss.

Marco and Tanya run side by side. Ish and Thane are more spread out. Every one of them sprints while zigzagging at random intervals. All of them has been in a fire fight before throughout their mercenary careers and they know that technique increases the odds of their survival.

A couple of minutes past and the four are starting to show signs of fatigue. As they slow down, Marco screams at them like a drill sergeant yelling at his rookies during an exercise. "Keep moving! Don't stop"! The sounds of their panting are the only thing that can be heard on the street.

Suddenly, a single Collector jumps out of the corner of the street. It was not planning to run into the group and was just as surprised to see them as they were to see it. But the group reacts first. As it shrieks to warn others, all four of the group fires their weapons at the alien. The alien didn't stand a chance and its life ends before the body collapses to the floor.

"Go!" Marco yells as he points down the street "I can see the landing pad"! As the others look at the landing pad, they tap into the last of their reserves and run a little faster.

A minute later, and the steps to the landing pad are only a few meters ahead of them. The group can see the Arrowhead and a cargo supply ship standing next to each other. Ish has never been so happy to see the Arrowhead. But, instead of pointing to his ship, Marco points to the flight control tower to the left.

"Everyone, in there"!

The group run up the stairs and head for the tower. Marco kicks open the door and lets the others go in first. Ish enters checking all the corners with her gun. When the room is cleared, Marco slams the door shut. Exhausted and out of breath, all of them stand still panting and rubbing their sore legs. Thane is the first to get his breath back and walks up to the window looking down the street they came from. He looks at Marco and says "We can't stay here long, Marco. What's the plan"? Then he breaks the window with his sniper rifle, plants it on the sill and aims it down the street.

Jevings' lungs gasp for air and hate him as he uses his breath to speak. "Tanya's right" he answers. "The Collectors won't leave until they capture every human in the colony". He gasps for air again. "We have to make them leave". After one more deep breath he says "I'm going to ram the Arrowhead into the heart of the Collector ship".


	15. Chapter 15

Tanya, Ish and Thane all look at Marco for different reasons. Thane looks like he wants to volunteer to fly the Arrowhead. Ish looks at him in disbelief and Tanya shakes her head in fear of her husband's life. She goes to him, quickly burying the fear and replacing it with anger. "No!" she yells "You are not going to sacrifice yourself". Marco tries to talk but she interrupts him to reinforce her position. "I won't let you".

"Tanya, relax" he says, calming her down "I have no intention of killing myself. But, if I can get to the Arrowhead's cockpit, I could link the navigational computer to my omni-tool and fly the ship remotely".

Ish walks up to Marco. "You're going to destroy your own ship"? Jevings nods his head without hesitation. "The way I see it, two things could happen. The Collector ship could sustain so much damage they will retreat and get off of the planet to go back to wherever the hell they came from. And, even if that ship stays, they will be so damaged, they won't be able to fire on us as we escape. Once the ship is hit, we get to Jeffrey's cargo supply ship next to the Arrowhead and fly off".

Thane, while still looking out of the window through his sniper scope, asks Marco "The cargo ship is bigger than your ship. Why not use that ship instead"?

"Because of the explosive charges you placed on the Arrowhead's engines" Marco replies, displaying the confidence Tanya fell in love with and Ish was betrayed by. "The Arrowhead will punch a whole in that ship. Then, the charges will detonate releasing another explosion within the ship. It's the one-two punch we need to make sure the Collector ship is disabled". As he spoke he kept looking back and forth between the other three. But now, he looks straight at Thane. "But I need you to reset the timer for ten seconds instead of five. Otherwise, the Arrowhead will explode before it collides with the ship".

"That won't be a problem" Thane says "Resetting the timer is faster than disarming it. But we have to go now. The Collector's are upon us".

"Lets go".

As Thane and Marco head for the exit, Tanya walks with them. "If you're going out there, so am I". Marco stops and holds her to keep her from walking with him. "Tanya, no" he says "I need you and Ish to stay here and draw the Collectors' fire. I'll be taking cover behind the ship's ramp but we'll still be pretty exposed. If you want to protect me, don't hold back. Let 'em have it". After that, Marco lets go and Tanya allows him to walk unopposed.

At the doorway, Jevings activates his omni-tool and operates the holographic interface. Outside, on the landing pad, the Arrowhead's entrance ramp opens up remotely and lowers to the ground. Marco turns off the omni-tool and looks to Thane. "My ship is about thirty yards away. Since they won't use lethal rounds on me, keep me between you and them. When we get to the ship, work quickly". Thane nods his head and says "I'm ready". Then, Marco kicks open the door.

"Run"!

As they leave, Tanya and Ish run to the window. Tanya grabs Thane's sniper rifle and loads a shot in. Ish, still using the Collector weapon, fires upon the incoming crowd of twenty Collectors. The alien weapon makes a completely different sound. It is more high pitched and fires slower than the kind of gun she is used to.

Tanya's first sniper round goes through one of the aliens' head. The rest take cover behind trees, pillars and homes then return fire at the flight tower building. Ish looks at Tanya and sees anger and passion in her eyes. Tanya's teeth are exposed and grind together as more sniper fire bursts out of the gun. As they fire from the window, the women can see the landing pad on their left and the Collectors on the street to their right.

Marco and Thane sprint to the ship with all of their energy. While a few of the Collectors fire in their direction, the two men dodge them easily. The rest of the aliens are firing at the control tower. Jevings' plan seems to be working. When they get to the Arrowhead, Marco takes cover behind the ramp and Thane goes behind the ship's right engine and starts working on the explosive charge he planted in it.

When Jevings fires his pistol at the Collectors he gets their attention. More of the aliens fire their concussive rounds at Marco. He manages to hit an alien in the chest but it just stumbles backwards and then returns fire. The Collectors may not have shielding like the others, but their hard slimy skin can absorb damage pretty well.

The first light of dawn touches the colony. And, for the first time, dawn approaches to be greeted by a fire fight. Ish fires a burst from her weapon and then throws a biotic ball out of the window. The ball hits a Collector, knocking him to the floor. However, the alien standing next to it, helps it get back on its feet. Tanya lets another sniper round fly. The shot hits one of the aliens in the arms, separating it from the rest of the body. But the Collector just shrieks in pain and continues to fire back as if nothing happened.

Marco hides behind the ramp to avoid incoming fire. The concussive rounds give off a "poofing sound as they hit the metal ramp. "Are you almost done back there!" he screams. Thane, now working on the left engine yells back "Nearly finished"!

The assassin's webbed fingers move quickly to change the settings of the explosive charges. Thane knows the longer he is exposed the more likely he will get hit. And, since the Collectors do not care for capturing Drells, his fingers move even faster. After one final touch, he runs to Marco behind the ramp. "The timers are reset"!

"Good" Jevings says, giving Thane his pistol "Cover me while I go inside".

The Drell grabs the gun and starts firing. "Go"!

Marco swings around the ramp to get to the front and dashes up it. Several rounds hit the ramp just where his feet were a split second ago. Inside the Arrowhead, Jevings runs up the stairs and sits in the pilot's seat in the cockpit. With a command, the orange hue of his omni-tool lights up at the same time as his navigational terminal. Marco works frantically to synch the two devices together.

Back at the control tower, Tanya takes cover under the window sill as she expels the thermal casing from the sniper rifle, essentially reloading it. However, just as she was about to get back into position, Ish sees one of the Collectors on the street throw a grenade at them.

Ish screams "Get down!" and both of them drop to the floor and hide underneath the tables. The grenade lands in front of the window outside of the building. When it explodes, it sends a fiery blast that shoots upward and a shockwave that shakes the building. After the blast, Tanya and Ish crawl out of their tables and sees the frame of the window is now crumbled. But that doesn't stop them from returning fire.

Thane would rather prefer his sniper rifle. But he is just as skilled with a pistol. The next three bullets he squeezes out hit one of the Collectors. Two shots hit its chest but it was the third shot into the neck that puts it down for good.

One Collector throws a grenade towards the Arrowhead. It lands several meters off of the right side of the ship. Thane stops firing and desperately dives toward the left side of the ship as the grenade explodes. While the explosion didn't hit him, the shockwave did. It caught him in mid-air and twisted his body as it propelled him. Thane hit his head hard on one of the Arrowhead's landing struts and is knocked unconscious. His body lays motionless underneath the ship.

Marco finished linking the omni-tool just as he felt the grenade's shockwave hit the ship. He turns off the navigational computer, caresses the console with his hand and whispers "Good bye, old girl".

Suddenly, the towering Collector ship roars.

Marco looks out of the cockpit window and sees the seeker swarm flying out of the behemoth and toward the landing pad.

"Oh shit" he says as he runs out of the cockpit. Marco's omni-tool remains activated and its light waves up and down as he runs. Jevings jumps down the ramp and gets behind it again. Surprised to see Thane is no longer there, he looks around for him and sees his body lying face first on the floor.

In the control tower, Ish is the first to see the swarm flying toward them.

"Goddess" she prays to herself. A second later, Tanya sees the swarm as well.

"Oh no". She then sticks half of her body out of the window and yells toward the Arrowhead at the top of her lungs. "Marco, get out of there"!

When he hears his wife scream, he does not question it. He leaves the protection of the ramp and starts to run back to the control tower. But, only a few yards later, he stops himself.

"What is he doing?" Ish asks Tanya. The two women watch as Marco turns around and looks at Thane's body.

"Leave him!" screams Tanya.

After a second of contemplation, Marco disobeys his wife's command and runs back to the Arrowhead. When he gets to Thane, he turns him over and quickly checks for vital signs. While the buzzing of the incoming swarm prevents him from listening for breathing, Jevings can feel a pulse. He picks up the Drell's arms and drags the body toward the control tower.

With the extra weight and walking backwards, Marco's run back is only half as fast. When the seeker swarm reaches the landing pad, the bugs go straight for Marco and Thane like angry bees.

Tanya can only yell "No!" as she sees the thousands of insects envelope her husband. Ish is too shocked to say or think anything. They just watch as Marco lets go of Thane's body and starts to flail his arms in every direction. Showing no interest in any species except Humans, the little machines ignore the Drell and completely focus on the Human.

Marco's instinct is to panic. He tries to crawl backwards on the floor to escape them but it is no use. The sound of buzzing in his ear and the feeling of the bugs crawling on the skin of his face makes his hairs stand up. He breathes rapidly as he swings his arms around. The orange light of his omni-tool reflects off of the wings of the insects. One of the bugs crawls around the back of his neck and stings him.

After the initial pain of the sting, Marco's arms and legs flail slower and slower. Soon, his limbs stop completely and are suspended in place. Marco sits on the ground motionless with a sorrow look on his face. He is frozen.

Tanya witnesses this from the window and walks toward the exit door with no tears in her eyes and no sad expressions. Her face is blank. Ish runs up to her and grabs Tanya's arm just as she was about to open the door. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to save my husband".

"Don't be stupid!" Ish replies "They're just going to get you too".

"I have to try" Tanya says as she breaks free of Ish's grip. But the Asari woman grabs her arm again and holds it tighter. "You're not going out there"! Suddenly, Tanya violently breaks free of the grip and pushes the Asari woman to the wall and pins her there.

"I'm going out there whether you like it or not!" she screams to her face "I'm the only one left who knows how to fly the ship remotely. Besides, I don't give a shit about Aria and I don't give a shit about Drim and I don't give a shit about you. The only one I care about is Marco. And I'm going to do whatever I can to save him".

Ish talks back to Tanya more calmly this time as if trying to calm her down. "You're just going to end up like the others".

Tanya looks Ish in the eyes. "If it means saving the one I love" she says as she lets go of Ish "I'll gladly sacrifice myself. That's something you'll never understand, Asari". With that, Tanya checks her weapon again and heads back to the exit.

Ish leans on the wall alone. Her thoughts turn to Braiala and Tanya's words echo in her mind. Then she looks up at the ceiling and prays to the Goddess for her daughter's safety. She closes her eyes.

When Tanya opens the main door halfway she hears Ish say "Wait". She looks back and sees Ish walking to her. "We still have a job to do" she says not admitting it is an excuse. "I'll get you to Marco".

"How?" Tanya asks.

"I'll enlarge my biotic shield to protect both of us from enemy fire and the bugs" she replies "But we have to run and you have to get to the omni-tool quickly. I won't be able to do anything else except putting all of my energy into maintaining the shield. But I am already weak. The bubble won't last too long".

"I understand" Tanya says calmly.

Ish gives Tanya the Collector weapon she was using and then takes deep breathes. Each breath is longer than the last. After the third breath, Ish kicks open the door and screams as she extends her hands towards the sky. Her arms glow and a violet-colored bubble envelopes the two women. Tanya and Ish move quickly as they run through the landing pad.

The glowing bubble acts as a beacon for the Collectors and the swarm. The Collectors concentrate their fire on the bubble and the insects swarm around it trying to penetrate it. Neither bug nor bullet can pass through the bubble walls but their attempts put an enormous strain on Ish. The Asari woman screams in pain like if someone were stretching her arms farther than her body would allow.

When they get to Marco's frozen body, Tanya kneels down over him so the bubble could consume him as well. Then their eyes meet. Tanya can see her husband's eyes moving but staying focused on hers. Seeing Marco in that state almost makes her cry but she forces her tears back.

Suddenly, the biotic bubble fluctuates both in size and density. It begins to shrink and Ish yells out a cringing sound as if she were lifting heavy weights and pushing herself beyond her limits.

With her teeth grinding together and her eyes shut tight, Ish yells "I can't hold it".

"You have to"!

The diameter of the bubble gets smaller and smaller. Ish is now on her knees. Marco takes his eyes off of his wife's and intently looks at his omni-tool. Tanya operates the remote controls.

The Arrowhead powers up. Shortly after, the thrusters lift the ship and hovers it over the landing pad. Many of the Collectors fire on the Arrowhead not know what its intentions are. The swarm, however, attack the bubble even more fiercely than before.

With a few more commands into the omni-tool interface, the Arrowhead changes pitch and yaw to point toward the center of the Collector ship. The bubble fluctuates even more rapidly. Just as Tanya places her finger over the final command, Ish cries "I can't-".

Then the bubble vanishes completely. Ish drops to the floor and passes out from exhaustion just like she did in the hanger bay of The Forum. As Tanya's finger touches the command, the swarm engulfs her, completely ignoring Ish. She tries to struggle but the enraged insects sting her multiple times. Then she remains still.

But the Arrowhead doesn't. Its engines fire up and, just like its namesake, it pierces the sky and punctures the body of the Collector ship. The force was so strong, it teeters the massive ship, almost toppling it over. The explosion shoots pieces of both ships in every direction. Balls of fire and smoke light up the colony better than the light from the dawning sun. The sound of the collision thunders over the clear sky. All the Collectors in the colony look up as a huge flaming hole gushes fire out like blood coming out of a ripped artery. Just when the flames begin to die down, Thane's bombs explode. The Arrowhead had punctured the ship deep enough that the charges exploded inside the ship.

Like a limping beast, the Collector ship roars again. This time, the sound signals the Collectors and the swarm to return to the ship. The aliens near the landing pad turn around and head back to their ship as fast as they can. The swarm also flies away and returns to the hatches on the sides of the vessel. Soon after, the large single round shaped engine of the Collector ship powers up and ignites. It takes off just like the very first Human space shuttles did long ago. A plume of white smoke covers the ground as the ship shoots skyward. Fire and debris come out of its wound and free fall back to the surface. Then, just as swiftly and sudden as it arrived, it left.

As the morning sun shines down on the colony of Sol's Legacy, it lies quiet, battered and raped. But all is not lost. Because of their sudden need for departure, the Collectors did not take all of the colonists like they had intended to. Some of the people are still in the streets and in the parks and in their homes, although they are still frozen in place. Other colonists, who were not stung by the swarm, come out of hiding and walk the streets examining the frozen ones to see if they are friends or family.

And their saviors, Marco, Tanya, Thane and Ish lie still on the floor in the middle of the landing pad.


	16. Chapter 16

"Wake up" says a man's voice.

"Come on. You're not dead. Wake up".

Ish slowly opens her eyes and sees a Human male she has never seen before kneeling over her body. She groans as if waking up from a long sleep. Seeing the signs of life come back to her, the man shakes her shoulders.

"That's it" that man reassures her "Don't worry, you're safe. The aliens are gone now". As soon as she hears the word "aliens" her eyes widen as she remembers where she is and quickly sits up ready to fight. The man grabs her shoulders and holds her still. "Easy. Take it easy" he says "They're gone, I said".

Ish calms down as she examines her surroundings. The bright light of the morning sun takes its toll as her eyes attempt to adjust. She sees she is still on the landing pad. Marco and Tanya are still in their frozen state, their eyes still moving. Thane is still unconscious. The cargo supply ship rests quietly and undamaged not far from where the Arrowhead was positioned.

"What are you doing here?" the man asks.

"What do you mean?" Ish answers as she holds her head to keep her headache from getting worse. The man looks at her in curiosity. "Well, there are no Asari who live here". Then he looks at the unconscious assassin and says "Or Drell's for that matter. Which means you came from the outside".

Ish lets out a small cry of pain from the pounding of her headache. "I'm sorry" the man tells her "This isn't the time for those kinds of questions. I'm Jeffrey and I'm glad the aliens didn't take you".

"My name is Ish. How long was I passed out"?

"I don't know when you passed out" Jeffrey answers "But I saw the alien ship leave the planet. That was five hours ago".

Ish repeats five hours to herself and then looks curiously to Jeffrey as she is surprised to see he is not frozen. "What do you mean 'you saw them leave'"?

"When the aliens attacked, I hid where they couldn't find me. So did a few others. And, about twenty minutes ago, the first of the colonists started to thaw out of that stasis the bugs put them in". Ish quickly snaps her head to face Marco and Tanya. They are still in stasis but Ish can see Marco's eyes staring at her almost pleading with her. The Asari woman is relieved to see she was the first one to wake up but now knows that Marco and Tanya will come out of stasis in the near future. Then she looks at Thane's body and asks Jeffrey "Is he dead"?

"No" he replies "I checked him before I checked for you. He's still alive but he has a pretty nasty bruise on his head. He's out cold. Fortunately, our doctor has experience with Drells. If the aliens didn't take him, I'll find him and bring him here".

Then Jeffrey goes over to Marco and Tanya and kneels between them. When he sees both of them looking at him, he puts one hand each on them and says "The two of you are going to be fine. I'm glad they didn't take you". Then he starts to cry "They took Jessica. She ran up ahead. I told her to stop. I saw the swarm and she didn't. And they got her". He bends over and cries over Marco's chest.

As he weeps, Ish stands up on her feet. Still a little weak, she focuses on something other than her dizziness. She brushes the dirt from her dark purple outfit and looks around. When she looks down the street leading to the square, she sees another person off in the distance. A woman is walking aimlessly crying. Although she is far away, she is easy to spot because she is the only thing moving.

"Look" Ish tells Jeffrey. When he turns his head and sees the woman, he looks up at  
Ish and says "Stay here and look after them. I'm going to help her". Without waiting for a reply, Jeffrey gets up and runs down the street after the woman.

At first, Ish did not fully understand the advantage she had. But then it hits her. She looks down at the other three then looks back at Jeffrey who is halfway down the street already. When he is at a far enough distance, she takes the Collector's weapon from out of Tanya's hand then goes over to Thane.

She rolls his body so he is facing up and unzips the pocket where he put the Shadow Broker's data disk in. Ish reaches in and pulls out the disk. Then she puts it back in her pocket and stands back up. She turns around and runs toward the cargo supply ship's main entrance hatch. She enters the command into the hatch interface and the doors open.

She runs back to Marco and wraps her hands underneath his armpits and drags his frozen body to the ship. Ish takes him inside and looks for a secured place to lock him in. She sees the cockpit on the other side and two rows of storage rooms separated by bars that are normally used to keep cargo bins in place. She drags him to the storage room that is closest to the cockpit and opens the bars. Ish puts him inside, walks out and locks the bars again, turning the storage room into a make shift jail cell.

The Asari runs back out into the landing pad and grabs Tanya as well. She drags her in and puts her in the storage room opposite of Marco's and locks the bars. Then she goes to the hatch and closes it. On her way to the cockpit, she stops by Marco's cell. She looks through the bars and into his eyes which are looking right back at her.

"You're lucky you're frozen like that" she says "I'm taking you back to Aria". Ish goes over to the cockpit and sits at the pilot's seat.

The cargo ship's engines power up and the landing struts fold back into the ship as it starts to hover. The sound of the engines can easily be heard down the street. Jeffrey looks at the ship and then sprints back to the landing pad. However, by the time he gets back, it is too late. The cargo ship is sky bound and Thane Krios is the only thing on the platform.

As the cargo ship leaves Ontarom's atmosphere, Ish activates the communications system. After a few seconds of blank screen, Aria's face appears.

"What is it, Ish?" Aria asks.

"I have them" Ish answers "Marco, his wife and the Shadow Broker's disk. I have everything".

Aria smirks and says "Excellent. I knew I could count on you. Bring them back to Omega immediately". Ish nods her head. "I'm at the edge of Alliance space now. It will take me about two hours to get there".

"Everything will be prepared by the time you get here". Then Aria vanishes from the screen as the transmission is terminated. Ish goes back to the helm controls and sets a course back to Omega.

Nearly an hour and a half later, Thane Krios wakes up to the light of Ontarom's sun. He is still on the landing pad but it is not as he remembers it. The survivors of the Collectors' attack have turned the landing platform into a triage center. The long flat strip is ideal for placing all of the medical beds and equipment needed.

Thane wakes up on top of a medical bed and hears the commotion of Humans talking and walking back and forth. He looks around and sees a few dozen survivors on the platform. Some of them are on medical beds like he is. Others are treating wounds of the patients. Some are crying and being counseled by others. Jeffrey is at the entrance steps of the landing pad and is directing the new arrivals.

The Drell slowly sits up but still feels a sharp pain in the back of his skull. As he rubs the back of his neck, a doctor walks up to him. The Human physician is obviously old from his white hair and wrinkled face but moves around like a younger man. His intention to help the hurt is what gives him the energy to move about so frantically.

"Good, you came around" the doctor says "What's the last thing you remember"?

Thane takes a second to think about the answer. "The Collectors attacked the colony. I was on the landing platform taking cover and firing back at them. The last thing I remember is an explosion close by".

"Good" the doctor says "You're memory hasn't been damaged. A few of the survivors reviewed the surveillance footage of the flight control tower. They saw you, Marco, Tanya and an Asari fighting the aliens".

"How many people did they take?" Thane asks.

"We counted approximately three hundred survivors" then the physician looks away in shame "The other day, there were nine thousand of us".

"My condolences".

"It would have been all of us if it weren't for you. My grand daughter is alive because of you Marco and the others. Thank you". The doctor puts his hand on Thane's shoulder. The assassin's interest peeks when he hears Marco's name. "Where is Marco and the others?" he asks the doctor.

"I don't know" the old man replies "The ones who saw the footage said they saw the Asari woman drag Marco and his wife into the cargo ship and fly off".

Thane folds his webbed hands together and looks at them as he whispers "Damn" to himself. He knows exactly where Ish took Marco and Tanya. As for the Shadow Broker's data disk, he doesn't have to check his front pocket to know it is gone. He can already feel his pocket is not as heavy as it was when he put the disk in it. He looks down and sees the front pocket is unzipped. He knows they are going to Omega. And now finishing the mission Drim sent him on is impossible.

"How are my injuries, doctor"?

"You're lucky I have experience treating wounded Drells" the old man replies "The injury to your head was so severe, you would have slipped into a coma otherwise". Thane looks at the doctor and says "Thank you. I appreciate everything you have done for me".

"There's one more thing". The physician takes the medical data pad hanging from Thane's bed and shows it to him. "When I took a sample of your blood, the results gave me this". Thane takes the data pad and reads the medical results. Then he hands the pad back to the doctor and says "Yes, I am aware I have that condition already".

"I understand" the doctor replies as he sees the Drell stand up and start to walk away. "Wait, where are you going? You need to rest". Thane stops walking but doesn't turn around. Instead, he tilts his head to the left as he answers the doctor. "I must go. I still have a job to do". Without saying another word, the Drell assassin starts to walk to the edge of the colony where he landed his ship.

Marco Jevings snaps out of the paralyzing stasis on the floor of the storage cell just like someone waking up from a bad nightmare. One second he was absolutely still and, the next, he flails his arms and kicks his legs. His breaths are short, rapid and shallow for a while but then start to normalize.

He can finally feel his back pressed on the hard metal floor of his cell. His hands and feet are placed flat on the floor so he can get his bearings faster. Slowly, he makes it to his feet, his legs wobble as they get used to moving again. He holds on to the cell bars to keep his balance.

With his standing position secure, he looks over to the opposite storage cell and sees his wife's body still motionless on the floor. "Oh, Tanya" he whispers. Then he looks past the bars and toward the cockpit. Ish is sitting at the pilot's chair and the blue stream of the mass relay's transit can be seen from the cockpit window.

"Ish" he calls out. She turns around to look at Marco.

"I was hoping you would still be frozen by the time we got back to Omega" she says "That way I wouldn't have to hear your voice again".

Accepting his fate, Marco asks "How much longer until we get there"?

"We are in the mass relay's transit now. We will arrive in the Omega system in a few minutes".

"How's Tanya"?

Ish grabs the Collector weapon, gets up from the chair and walks to Tanya's cell. "The paralyzing effects of the bug's bite will eventually go away. But I saw your wife bitten several times before I passed out. I'm guessing it will take her a little longer to recover".

"Why didn't you kill me like you said you would"?

Ish slowly walks over to Marco's cell. He casually holds the bars and Ish raises her weapon at him. "I still want to". Without flinching or showing fear by the sight of the gun's barrel pointing toward him, he says "But you're not going to. Why? Is it because I'm worth more alive"?

"No".

"Is it because I have a wife"?

"No!" she yells.

"Is it because-".

Ish pulls the trigger and a single round flies out of the barrel. The shot passes Marco's head and hits the wall panel behind him. But Ish intentionally missed him to stop him from talking.

"Stop thinking you know me so well!" she screams at him "Because you don't".

A few seconds of silence pass between them. Marco and Ish look into each others eyes and Jevings speaks in his most humble voice.

"I do know you well, Ish" he begins "Because of your experiences you put up this tough exterior. But deep inside you are a compassionate woman. You remind me a lot of my wife in that way so I know compassion when I see it" Ish stays quiet as Marco continues "And you don't want to lose that compassion. Even after all the people you kill and the things you do, you want to preserve it for the day you find Braiala. You're preserving it so that, when she sees you again, she doesn't see a cold, heartless mercenary. She sees her mother".

After hearing Marco's speech, she lowers her weapon. But, just as he was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she raises it back at him.

"Back at the colony" she says "When I was pinned down by the tree" she pauses for two seconds before finishing "Why did you come back to save me"?

Jevings lets go of the bars and lets his hands drop to his sides. "I saved you because you aren't a bad person. And I want Braiala to see that. No more lies or tricks, Ish. I swear that's the truth". Ish stays silent and examines the value of his honesty.

Suddenly, the navigational computer beeps alerting Ish that the ship is about to come out of the mass relay. The Asari woman lowers her weapon and says "I won't kill you. But I still have to hand you over to Aria". She walks back to the cockpit and sits back down on the pilot's seat.

In a flash of blue light, the large bulky cargo supply ship suddenly appears next to the Omega system's mass relay. As it enters normal space again, it flies toward the Omega station. But, without warning, another ship intercepts the cargo ship and stops in front of it.

Ish quickly brings the ship to a halt in order to prevent it from colliding head on into the other vessel. The new vessel is slightly larger thatn the Arrowhead by comparison. Its design is Salarian in origin but the hull is colored black. The vessel fires two shots at the cargo ship. The power of the blasts was intentionally weak and only designed to get Ish's attention and to prove how serious the situation is.

In the cockpit, Ish slams her fist into the computer console and yells "Shit"!

"What is it?" Marco 'asks trying to look out of the cockpit window to answer his own question. The Asari does not answer. When Marco sees her arming her weapon again he repeats himself. "Ish, what is it"?

She turns around and yells back "It's Taz"!

Then the communications terminal beeps. Ish was reluctant to answer it but the beeps became nagging. She accepts the hail and Taz the Salarian appears on the screen.

"What do you want, Taz"?

"What you have" the Salarian assassin answers.

Taz the Salarian is the Shadow Broker's most reliable assassin. The Broker only chooses the best and most ferocious of individuals to be the ones he calls on to have someone killed. Taz has made a reputation of assassination that made him the most notorious and feared hit man in the Shadow Broker's arsenal.

"The Shadow Broker has sent me to retrieve Marco and Tanya by any means necessary" he says in a sinister voice "I will dock my ship with yours and you will relinquish them. If you resist in any fashion, I will kill you. If you attempt to flee, I will disable your engines, kill you and take them by force".

"I understand, Taz". The screen turns blank and Ish throws her weapon to the floor.

The docking procedure was done very quickly. Taz's ship links with the cargo vessel. Ish waits by the airlock hatch unarmed. She doesn't wait long. When the airlock doors slide open, Taz walks in holding a pistol and aiming it forward. When he sees Ish, he points it straight at her chest.

One of the things that make Taz so unique, besides his killing skills, is his physical features. Salarians normally have very slim physiques. Their arms and legs are skinny as well as their torsos and necks. But Taz is built like a tank. His chest sticks out and the muscles in his arms are similar to a Human professional body builder. His skin is green and his eyes are jet black and maniacal.

Taz is not the only ones to enter. Behind him are three heavily armed and armored guards. Two are Krogan and one is another normal sized Salarian.

"Where are they"?

Ish says nothing and just points in the direction of the storage cells. Taz and the two Krogan walk towards the cells while the other Salarian stands guard by the airlock. Taz looks at Tanya's frozen body in her cell and orders his Krogan. "Carry her back to the ship and lock her in a secured room.

One of the Krogans opens the cell bars and picks up Marco's motionless wife. Marco keeps an eye on them, making sure they do not harm her in any way. As the Krogan walks away, Taz looks at Marco and asks "You're not going to be a problem, are you, Marco?" stroking his pistol as he says it.

Marco lets out a loud exhale and answers "No".

"Good" Taz smiles "You and your wife are in the Shadow Broker's custody now". The muscular Salarian opens the cell bars. When Marco walks out, Taz firmly places his hand on the man's shoulder and walks him forward.

Marco and Ish stare at each other for a moment. Jevings can see Ish looking at the Collector weapon and thinking if she can get to it in time.

"Ish" Marco calls, interrupting her thoughts. When she looks back at him he shakes his head "no".

When they get to the airlock, Taz stops and turns around to face Ish. "Where is the Shadow Broker's data disk"? Hoping that the Salarian would overlook it, she lets out a sigh of frustration and takes the disk out of her pocket.

When she offers it to him, Taz says "Take it. The Shadow Broker offers it as a gift and a challenge. He says to give Aria this message. Tell her, if she can decrypt the data disk, she deserves to read the knowledge it contains". Then he points his pistol at Ish's forehead. "But, if Aria tries to steal something that belongs to the Shadow Broker again, He'll send me to kill her". Without saying another word, Taz, his guards and Marco enter the airlock and the doors close behind them.


	17. Chapter 17

Not long after her prisoners were taken from her, Ish finds herself back on Omega and in Aria's office. The office overlooks the Afterlife club below via a transparent wall. The patrons, dancers, bar tenders and bouncers below enjoy the music and lights of Afterlife, not realizing how upset their hostess is.

Aria stands between her chair and her desk and leans forward with the palms of her hands placed flatly on the surface of the desk. Ish stands firmly at attention like a soldier on the other side. She refuses to look Aria in the eyes. Ish knows she is angry. She is furious about losing Marco and Tanya but that doesn't compare to how pissed off she is when Ish delivered Taz's message to her.

"What did he say?" she yells.

Ish doesn't dare repeat it. She stands there quietly. Aria stares her down, her eyes piercing her flesh. Then she walks past the desk and to the transparent wall and looks down upon the small dancing figures like a god in the sky.

After a moment, Aria suppresses her anger and disappointment and looks back at Ish in a calm demeanor. "You failed me, Ish" she says "Compared to the other assignments I had you do, this one should have been an easy mission for you". Aria slowly walks to the front of her desk and leans on the edge of it. "But you failed me".

"I have no excuses, Aria" Ish tells her, making sure to look straight ahead "I will accept any punishment you give me".

"You will _accept_?" Aria yells as she gets in Ish's face. Then, right in front of her, Aria calms down again. "I want to be absolutely clear with you, Ish. The only reason why you are standing in my office instead of Thrasher and Stomper's interrogation room is because you brought back that data disk".

Aria then gets out of Ish's face and then walks around her in circles. Her steps are slow and her movements are subtle. She circles like a vulture that has all the time in the world. "Your only saving grace is that I have the galaxy's best decryptor working on the disk as we speak. It may take some time, but he'll eventually crack open its secrets".

The queen of Omega stops circling when she is at Ish's right side. Ish keeps her focus to her front as Ish looks at the right side of her face. "But I am still very disappointed in you" she says "And, because of that, I will not grant the request you asked of me. You are not allowed to use my resources to find your daughter. From now on, you have to look for her on your own. That is the punishment you must _accept_".

"Yes, Aria" Ish says sounding empty and hollow.

Suddenly, the door to the office chimes and Aria says "Come in". The door opens and in walks a Salarian with the Shadow Broker's disk in the palm of his hand.

"What is it, Frilim?" Aria says "I told you to start working on decrypting the data disk". The Salarian wanted to deliver the news in a better, more happier way but he couldn't. Normally, what he will say next would have been cause for celebration but he knew that would not be the case. Almost embarrassed, Frilim tells Aria "That's why I'm here, Aria. I already have".

Ish and Aria's eyes widen with interest and they look at each other with a suppressed excitement. Aria gets off of her desk and Ish no longer stands like a soldier. Still trying to believe how fast Frilim completed his task, Ish asks "Drim was trying to decrypt the disk for days and couldn't. You're saying you did it in a matter of hours"?

"I told you he was the best decryptor in the galaxy" Aria says, feeling proud of herself. Frilim looks to Ish. "I especially have experience decrypting disks belonging to the Shadow Broker. Although, that was many years ago, the new disks are not too much different from the old ones".

"Good work, Frilim" says Aria as she walks up to him "I'm glad someone here doesn't fail me". Aria extends her right arm at the Salarian and opens her palm. Frilim gives her the data disk. She looks at it for a couple of seconds and then back up at the Salarian.

"Has anyone else seen its contents"?

"That's what I came here to tell you, Aria" Frilim says, getting more nervous by the second. He takes a deep breath to compose himself and muster up the courage to tell Aria "The disk is empty".

"What?" Aria yells in surprise. She quickly walks over to her personal computer on her desk and inserts the data disk in the slot. Not bothering to sit in her chair, she stands as she reads the files on the screen. As she looks at the disk's contents on the display, Ish can see her eyes getting narrow and violent.

"As you can see, the disk contains no files other than the complicated encryption program".

Aria grinds her teeth as she raises her fist and hammers it down on the computer. The screen deactivates and several small fragments fly in different directions. With her fist still buried in the terminal, she looks up at Frilim and says "Get out". Not hesitating for a second, the Salarian turns around and leaves the office.

When the doors close, and Ish and Aria are once again alone in the room, Aria focuses her anger to Ish. She is furious but she doesn't yell. Not because she holds her emotions in to be nice, but that is her style. Staying composed when she should be taking off heads is one of the reasons why everyone, including Ish, is so afraid of her. "The only reason you are alive right now is because you are blood" she says "But that's it. You ran out of favors from me. If you do anything to upset me again, I will have you killed. Now get out of my sight".

Knowing that saying or doing anything else would mean certain death for her, Ish walks out of the office. Aria looks down at the wrecked computer and sees that the disk is now on the middle of her desk. It flew out of the terminal's input port when she punched it. What should have been a treasure chest of secret information has become a worthless assembly of small metal. Aria opens up the desk drawer, pulls out a pistol and shoots the disk.

In a secret and secluded part of the galaxy, a thin, long vessel flies in the atmosphere of the gas giant world known as Hagalaz. What makes this planet unique is its constant and treacherous ion storms that circles the planet where dawn touches the night sky.

The long, thin body of the ship resembles the shape of a sword. However, throughout the body, pieces of the ship move in automation. There are also many tall lightning rods strategically placed to absorb the constant barrage of lightning strikes. In the back of the ship are a series of vertical flaps that extend both upward and under the main body. The flaps are meant to protect the rest of the ship from the powerful sun that is always behind it. The ship looks old and ancient as it flies with the storm.

Inside the vessel, the corridors are dark and depressing. The light sources on the ceiling are not strong enough to illuminate every inch of the hallways. The foot steps of Marco Jevings' boots echoes in one particular corridor. The corridor is empty. He walks alone as he approaches the end of the hall. When he reaches the tall, wide doorway he stands still and takes a deep breath. Then he opens the door and walks in.

The room is large. Both the left and right walls are covered by dozens of computer screens and displays. There is another doorway in the far end of the room. The center of the ceiling has a dome shaped glass which encases a flow of electricity and energy. The light from the energy in the dome shines down upon the center of the room. There is a desk there. It is long and has a semi-circle shape. And, on each sides of the desk, is a pillar. The desk itself has many computer terminals installed on it. Every single computer screen and terminal in the room is on and displays information about everything and anything that happens in the galaxy. Sitting behind the desk absorbing all of this information is the Shadow Broker himself.

The Shadow Broker is not a man. He is a monster. His skin is dark red with patches of black scattered throughout. The top of his head extends upwards like two horns. He has eight eyes; four on each side of his face, in a diamond formation. The mouth is the scariest feature. His lipless jaw is slit open three ways like an upside down letter "Y" and his pointy teeth stick out and can be seen whether or not he is talking.

His body is nearly two meters wide and made of pure muscle. His legs, as well as his arms, are the size of small tree trunks and he folds his claws together and wears a very navy blue business suit just like any other civilized person. The beast, known as a Yahg, has more knowledge and influence than anyone else in the galaxy. His power goes far beyond the strength of his muscles. With a tap of his computer, he can create and collapse corporations. He could change the decisions of the Citadel Council. Or he can order an assassination. All while hiding in the shadows with no one knowing who he really is. No one, except Marco and Tanya Jevings.

The Shadow Broker keeps his eight eyes on Marco as he steps into the light of the ceiling dome. His voice is very low pitched and heavy in bass. When he speaks, it sounds like he is talking through a bass speaker.

"Report".

"Tanya is back onboard" Marco replies "She thawed out just as we docked in the hanger bay".

"Was she compromised"?

"No" Marco answers "By the time Taz picked us up, none of the other factions had realized the data disk was a decoy and that Tanya and I are the ones who knows who you are and where this ship is".

The Broker then uses all eight of his eyes to study Marco's body language. The Yahg species has an uncanny talent to judge a person's true intentions by studying every aspect of their body. Slight twitches in a nervous muscle, which a normal person would overlook, are easily noticed by a Yahg. It is an innate skill which was originally used as a predatory instinct when they hunted prey. After concluding that Marco is telling the truth, the Shadow Broker speaks.

"Why did you not report to me immediately after you reacquired Tanya"?

"After what happened at Drim's slave compound, there were people hunting us" Jevings says "I thought hiding on Ontarom for a little while was the best way to lose our pursuers and secure my wife's safety".

The Shadow Broker leans forward putting his elbows on his desk. "You dodged a bullet, Marco" he says "Although you brought her back, this incident proves that my anominity is at risk so long as she is free to move about the galaxy".

"What are you saying?" Marco asks him.

"From this moment on, Tanya is confined to this ship. She is a liability and I can not risk someone else attempting to capture her to find out who I am. She knows too much about me and, therefore, she must remain here for the rest of her life".

"You can't do that!" Marco says, balling his fist up and walking toward the desk. When he stands in front of it, he slams his fist down and yells "She is my wife"!

Suddenly, the giant Yahg grabs Marco's neck with his red claws and lifts him up as he gets up from the chair. The Shadow Broker stands nine feet tall and lifts Jevings off his feet. He lets the Human dangle to remind him who is the one with all the power.

"She is only your wife because I allowed it" he says in his deep bass heavy tone "I did not kill her because the two of you proved to be a valuable asset when you work together. Because both of you know who I am, I decided it was best that you and her stay close to each other at all times. I allowed your marriage, Marco" then he releases his grip and Jevings falls to the floor "Never forget that".

Marco coughs but quickly gets back on his feet to show the Broker he is not weak. "So you're just going to put her in a cage like a pet the way you did with me all those years"? he yells.

"I already arranged a room for her on the lower level" the Yahg answers "She will have a comfortable living space. You can see her whenever you wish but she is forbidden to leave".

Frustrated, Marco says "I know what it's like to live under your hospitality. You might as well kill her now. And kill me too, while you're at it". The Shadow Broker points his finger at Jevings. The two of them stare each other down.

"Believe me, I want nothing more than to kill you" he responds with the utmost serious tone "But your father's actions bind my hands. If it weren't for the link, I would have devoured you when you were just a child. Christopher's twisted legacy is the only thing keeping you alive".

"There's nothing twisted about it" Marco defiantly replies as he points to his own heart "My father gave me this gift to keep you in check". Seeing anger build up in the Shadow Broker, Marco wisely changes the topic and goes back to talking about his mission. "The mission went well. I retrieved Tanya before Drim and Aria discovered the truth. We were about to report back to you but the Collectors attacked the colony".

The Yahg calmly sits down and folds his claws again. "I know".

Confused and curious, Marco asks "What do you mean, 'you know'"?

"After you escaped from Helyme with Tanya, I learned that both Drim's assassin and Aria's mercenary had discovered your hideout on Ontarom" the monster begins "The Collectors have asked me to suggest to them an isolated Human colony for which to begin their campaign. I gave them the location of Sol's Legacy".

"You son of a bitch" Marco says as he throws his fist in the air "My life was there! Those people were my friends"!

"Irrelevant" replies the heartless red giant "Your life was in danger. The Drell assassin has a well deserved reputation and Aria's Asari wanted you dead. The Collectors were the perfect force to overpower them both. I gave them Sol's Legacy under the stipulation that they capture you and Tanya unharmed and return you to me".

Jevings grabs his head with his hands as he comes to grips with the Shadow Broker's twisted yet perfect logic. "That's why the Collectors were using concussive rounds for me".

"Precisely" the Broker says "The sad truth is, you must be kept alive at all costs". Marco just stands their still trying to absorb all the information he heard. "Why would you even help the Collectors in the first place"?

"I needed to cooperate with them to ensure my survival in the coming invasion".

"What coming invasion?" Marco asks.

"That doesn't concern you" the Broker answers "Now go. I have a new assignment for you. For years, I have been helping the Batarian slave industry acquire Asari children. So that I may know the inner workings of every organization, I brokered a deal with them in which I made them think that injecting an altered version of Asari DNA will considerably extend their pathetic lives. All the slave kingpins have been delivering their payments as promised except for one; a Batarian named Zorlik. I want you to go to his base and disrupt his operations".

The Shadow Broker picks up a data pad from his desk and hands it over to Marco. "This pad has all the details. You will receive your usual payment and you may visit Tanya when the assignment is completed".

Jevings snatches the pad from the Yahg's claws and walks back toward the doorway he came from. On his way out, he reads over the details of the pad. He sees the location of the slave base and the level of security. Then he goes through the slave manifest and, just as the doors open, he comes to a halt. The names of the slave manifest are arranged in alphabetical order. The first name on the list is Braiala.

Marco turns around and walks back to the Broker's desk. "You can keep your money" he tells him "This is what I want as payment". Jevings shows the screen of the pad to the Broker. On it is a profile of Braiala.

"An Asari child"?

"I want her freed".

"Why?" the Shadow Broker wanders "What is she to you"?

"She's nothing to me" Marco bluntly answers "But she's everything to someone else".

The Yahg sits still and quiet as he contemplates the request and studies Marco's body for any hints of treachery. Impatient, Marco interrupts the Broker's thoughts. "Think of it as a deal" he says "A life for a life".

"You would trade Tanya's life for an Asari child you don't even know"?

"Not Tanya's life" Marco replies "My life. Free this child and I will comply with everything you tell me to do. I will not complain about you keeping Tanya here. I will not object to any order you give me. Nothing. I'll be a good boy".

The reference to Marco's youth intrigued the Shadow Broker. To have Jevings under the same control he had when Marco was a child, enthralled his natural sense of power. "Very well" he answers. And with out saying another word, Marco turns around and leaves.


	18. Chapter 18

Three days later, Omega's Afterlife club is crowded with people of all races who are enjoying the music and the bright lights. The club dancers swing on their poles while wearing tight revealing outfits. Narcotics are being shared by some of the patrons. People are drinking, dancing, having fun with their friends and enjoying their lives.

However, there is one single person who does not belong. An Asari woman with purple skin sits on the last bar stool in the row of stools at the bar table. Her chair is closest to the corner of the club room.

Ish came to the bar trying to lift her spirits. She is wearing a dark purple sleeveless shirt with tight black pants. The shirt is opened in the front, showing just a teasing amount of her cleavage. She is dressed to be happy but she isn't.

Since Aria is no longer willing to help her look for her daughter, she has spent the past few days trying to think of a plan to find her child. But she does not have a single clue or lead. All the people she has asked to help either do not care or do not know. She has been stuck in step zero for the past year and now, she feels like she is going backwards.

Ish stares at the glass in her hands, empathizing how quickly it has become so empty. The music and crowd are very loud but she barely hears them. The Turian bar tender approaches with a bottle in his hand. He hovers the bottle over her glass and asks "Another round"?

Her eyes do not leave the glass when she answers "No. That's it".

"You sure?" the bar man says "You only had one and you've been staring at that glass all night".

The normal Ish would have grabbed the Turian by the collar and screamed at him for second guessing her decision. But this Ish remains quiet as she gets up and walks out of the club, not caring when the dancing patrons bump into her as she passes them.

The elevator ride felt slower than the lift back on The Forum. Time has begun to move slowly for Ish. As the elevator stops on one of the more polished and high end residential levels, she walks out at a casual brisk. Her arms are folded and she thinks over the events that led up to the state she is in. She thinks about how she could have done things differently. Maybe if she had, she would have not failed her mission. Ish was one of Aria's most reliable mercenaries. But now, that is a thing of the past.

The corridor is well lit and clean and doesn't feel like it is in a space station at all. Her loft is in the center of the corridor. When she gets there, she places her thumb on the scanner. After verifying her identity, the door opens and she walks in.

It is dark in her lavish apartment, a place she was able to afford with the money she made as Aria's merc. The electrical lights are off but the living room is dimly light with red coming from the long horizontal window in the far wall. The red light is from the nearby nebula in the Omega system. When the doors close behind her, Ish flips the light switch.

The main living room is very large and can easily host a small party or crowd. All of the furniture is of the highest Thessian quality. The couches are made of white leather. The tables and counters are glass with silver plated legs. Light sources on the walls illuminate paintings from artists on Thessia. On one of the counters is a row of pictures from a series of small holographic projectors. The photos, of course, are of Ish and Braiala in various parts of their past when they were happy. But the projectors are arranged to imply a mural instead of fond memories.

To Ish's left is the doorway to her bed room. And to the right, past the kitchen, is the doorway to the shower room. But, when the lights turn on, the room is not as normal.

Marco Jevings is standing next to the window, leaning on it with his head turned to look at the nebula. He is wearing a brown long sleeved dressy shirt and black pants and boots. When Ish enters, and the lights turn on, he looks at her with a smile. Ish, on the other hand, gets startled and jumps back with her fists ready to start fighting.

"Marco" she says trying to conceal her fright "What the hell are you doing in my apartment"? Jevings raises his arms and opens his hands to show her he is not armed.

"I just came here to talk"? he says calmly "I wanted to see how you were doing".

Ish puts away her fists and walks deeper into her loft apartment. "Can't you just leave me alone? Ever since I met you, everything in my life has gone wrong".

"What do you mean"?

"What do you care?" Ish snaps at him.

"I care, Ish".

The Asari woman goes over to the kitchen and pours herself a glass of water. Before she starts drinking she says "How did you get past my thumb print scanner"?

"I think you already know the answer to that".

Ish takes a sip of the water and puts the glass on the counter. She then walks around the kitchen counter and stands a few feet from Jevings. "You work for the Shadow Broker, don't you"?

"Honestly, I would be surprised if you didn't figure that out by now" he says "Did you tell Aria"? Ish shakes her head and makes a "tssh" sound before saying "Aria is already pissed at me for failing the mission. If I told her both she and I were played by one of the Shadow Broker's agents, she would have had me killed".

"Well, I'm glad you didn't tell her. For both our sakes".

"A part of me wishes she had killed me" Ish says "She's not going to help me look for my daughter and I don't have the first clue where to start looking for her". Marco walks up to Ish and says "Forget Aria. You will see her again without her help. I promise".

Ish chuckles once as she finds his reassurance pathetically humorous. "You said you came here to talk. What did you want to talk about"? Marco puts his hands in his pants pockets and smirks.

"I wanted to say Thank You for helping me get my wife back" then he shrugs his shoulders and continues "Even though you didn't know you were helping me get her back". Ish just stands there, folding her arms and showing that she is not impressed by his gratitude. "And I wanted to say sorry. I'm sorry for lying to you and manipulating you to get what I wanted. It wasn't right of me to trick you by using your daughter. I hope you can forgive me and that there are no hard feelings between us".

Ish looks at him trying to understand Marco. In the past week, Marco has shown sincerity, apathy, grace, treachery, humility and guile. It has been extremely hard for her to figure out which parts of him is truly his personality. "I give up trying to understand you, Marco. One minute you're trying to kill me. The next, you are saving my life. Which side of you is real"?

Marco smiles at her when she asks him that. Then he gently grabs her arms with his hands. She waggles her arms around a little at first but then accepts his embrace. Jevings then leans forward and gives Ish a soft kiss on the forehead. She looks up at him and he looks down at her and says "You are a beautiful woman, Ish. Both inside and out. It was a pleasure to know you and I hope our paths cross again".

Marco walks past her and slowly walks toward the exit. "I left a thank you present for you in your bed room". Ish turns around to face Marco again and sees he is standing in front of the doorway. She chuckles sarcastically and says "Yeah, the last time a man told me that, I wound up pregnant". Jevings laughs and, in the most loving voice, looks her in the eyes and says "Trust me. Good bye, Ish".

Marco turns away and walks down the corridor. When the doors close, she looks over to her bed room door. Cautiously, she steps toward the shut door and quietly places her hand on the knob. With her free hand ready to defend herself, she turns the knob and creeks the door open. As soon as there is space, Ish peeks her head in first. What she sees makes her jaw drop and the door open the rest of the way by itself.

Her daughter Braiala, with her lovely pink skin, is sitting on the bed and reading a book. Hearing the door open makes her look up and unleashes a graceful smile Ish has only seen in her memories. The Asari child is wearing a casual blue children's outfit.

"Surprise, Mother" she says in the most innocent voice. Ish is paralyzed. Her eyes are opened wide and her fingers are pressed on her lips as she comprehends the image before her.

"Braiala?" she says, not believing what she is seeing.

Ish's daughter puts the book down on the bed and walks to her mother. "Marco told me to stay quiet so I could surprise you when you walked in. Were you surprised"? Ish gasps as she hears her daughter's voice again. She silently nods her head "yes" and then kneels down on one knee to be at the same eye level. She puts her hands on Braiala's arms and a tear rolls down her cheek.

"You're real" she says to herself "It's really you".

Braiala smiles again. "Don't cry, mother. The Batarians didn't mistreat me. I'm fine".

Ish bursts into tears and hugs her daughter tightly. With her lips next to her daughters ear, she cries "I missed you, baby. I missed you so much. I thought about you every day". Braiala returns the embrace.

"I missed you too, mother. I love you".

This time when Ish heard those words, it was not from a recording. And it was not from a distant past. It is happening now. Ish can hear her voice, smell her youthful scent and feel the warmth of her body heat between her arms. And it is real. More than a year's worth of tears run down her face as Ish tightens her embrace with the intention of never letting go again.

"I love you too, Braiala".

Ish wipes some of the tears off of her face and gives her daughter a kiss on the cheek. As Braiala rests her head on hers, Ish closes her eyes.

"Thank you, Marco", she whispers "Thank you".

THE END


End file.
